Seeking out the truth
by Lorelei Candice Black
Summary: Starts at the end of season 1, Veronica is 16 and Keith just died. Leanne leaves after telling Veronica who her real father is and calling him with the impossible news. Will Klaus be a good father to Veronica? Will the Mickealson stay united or start a war? How will V react to the supernatural world? Give it a chance, please! Non romantic pairing, obviously.
1. Chapter 1

_**Seeking out the truth**_

_**Part 1**_

* * *

_Pretty much the same season 1 of Veronica Mars but in this once, Veronica is almost 16 at the end of season 1. She's still the same as in the show and Keith dies at the end of the season when Aaron attacks him. Leanne hasn't left town yet._

_The Vampire Diaries: Klaus could reproduce before he broke the curse if he had sex with a willing human that wasn't compelled in any way and whose blood he didn't drink, also he didn't know about it (just go with it). Beginning of season 4 after Klaus is back in his body and before he daggers Rebekah. Elijah and Kol are alive and in the Mystic Fall's house with him when this starts._

* * *

Leanne Mars had kept a lot of secrets in her life, such as her problem with alcohol, her several different affairs and her problem with keeping money in her bank account long enough to last the month but the biggest secret she had kept in her entire life was her daughter's paternity.

When Keith, her husband, had started getting doubts about Veronica really being his daughter a few years ago, Leanne simply ignored it and let him think that, maybe, Jake Kane was the biological father of her daughter and she was completely fine with this but now that Keith Mars died (a hero as he saved his daughter's life from the man who had killed her best friend a year ago), she was faced with a new dilemma.

She could simply face all of her problems and try taking care of her own daughter, who by the way was already very smart and independent, but Leanne hated having to face her problems because that would mean having to admit having problems in the first place. No. She couldn't stay with her daughter and she couldn't take Veronica with her somewhere else either.

She could simply let everyone think that Jake Kane was Veronica's father but she knew her 16 years old daughter would be miserable living with Jake and Celeste. Plus, if Celeste convinced Jake to do a paternity test, Veronica would find herself on the street, wondering who her father really is.

She also could tell her daughter the truth about her father…

As hard as it would be to believe, she did have someone she could call, someone that would be able to contact Veronica's biological father.

Surely he could take a while in his eternity and take care of her until she was 18…

She took her phone out and dialed the number she knew by heart.

"Hello?" A male voice answered.

"Derek? It's Leanne Mars… Reynolds I mean… Leanne Reynolds. I need to speak with him." She said seriously, swallowing her saliva.

Back then she had introduced herself with her maiden name, even though she was married with Keith already at the time.

"Are you sure?" The male voice asked her.

"Yes, I am. It's very important…an emergency." Leanne replied.

"Are you reachable at this number?"

"Yes, I am." She replied.

"I'll call him right away." The voice said before he hung up.

Leanne sighted.

She hadn't kept in touch with Klaus after their brief affair together but she did keep the number of one of his witch contacts, just in case. She sought him out after she found out that she was pregnant, when she cut her hand and it healed right up. It had been proof enough for her that Klaus was the father and she had kept the secret until this day because she didn't want to lose Keith at the time, thinking that nobody had to know.

If her fast healing cut hadn't been enough, the fact that Veronica herself always healed much faster than normal human was proof enough. Her daughter very rarely got sick and it never lasted long. It had to have something to do with who her father was.

She knew that one day, she would have no choice but to tell her daughter the truth about who her father was and this phone number was her only way to get in touch with Klaus, the powerful vampire hybrid.

She still remembered the day she met him. It was the early days of her marriage and Keith was at some sort of week-long work convention out of town. She was feeling lonely and since her usual entertainment Jake Kane was busy with his newly born baby, she went in a bar in LA. That's where she met Klaus.

He had immediately understood that she just wanted to have a good time and he seemed to be feeling lonely. They talked. They connected. He told her that he was a thousand year old vampire that was lonely, ready to kill her if she panicked.

She accepted it.

They had sex.

The same ritual repeated for a week and the day Keith came back, Klaus left town. During that week though, she had met a few of Klaus' contacts in LA, along which a male witch that seemed to be very close to Klaus and whose name and phone number she had kept preciously for the past 16 years, just in case.

Now here she was, waiting for the vampire she hadn't talked to in 16 years to call her so she could tell him that the impossible had happened. She knew that he wouldn't be expecting it because when they had sex for the first time, he told her that vampires couldn't reproduce, explaining why using a condom wasn't necessary.

The sudden ringing of her cell phone brought her back to reality, interrupting her memories and she answered the number she didn't recognize, hopping it would all be over soon, that she would be free of her responsibilities and able to leave her daughter and go back to her own life.

"Leanne speaking." She said nervously.

"Leanne, it's been a while… I've been told that you needed to talk to me, that it was an emergency…What can be so important after 16 years?" A voice she hadn't heard in 16 years said with an English accent.

"I… You're not going to believe what I have to tell you but trust me, it's the truth…" She started.

"I'm all ears, Love." Klaus replied, his smile audible in his voice.

"I don't know if you're aware but I have a daughter…"

"I didn't know that, no… I don't exactly keep track of all of my sex partners' lives. Why don't you just tell me what's so important Leanne? I just reunited with Elijah, Rebekah and Kol and I have other fishes to fry at the moment." He told her.

"Well, it's kind of related… Listen, I'm just going to come out and say it how it is… My daughter is almost 16 years old and her father recently died… Well, not her father, my husband, but she thinks he's her father… Anyway, I can't take care of her so I don't have a choice but to tell her who her biological father is in hopes that he'll take care of her, look after her, at least until she turns 18. You are her father." Leanne announced and she heard something fall on Klaus's end of the phone.

"That's very funny Leanne. I'm a vampire remember? I can't procreate." Klaus snapped while he glared at Rebekah who had dropped an ancient and valuable book on the floor when she heard what Leanne told him.

Now all of his siblings were around him, wanting to know the truth.

"I don't know how it's possible but apparently it is Klaus. When I was pregnant I accidentally cut my hand while cooking and it healed right up and Veronica, that's your daughter's name by the way, she barely ever gets sick, she heals super fast when she gets cuts and she's much smarter than your average human, which we both know she didn't get from me." Leanne rushed the words out in fear he would hang up before she could convince him.

"This can't happen!" He snapped as his siblings sat down.

"Well, it did and I'm not taking care of her. You don't have a choice, she's _your_ daughter and if you don't take care of her she'll just end up alone on the street or in a foster home where she'll be nothing more than a meal ticket and a punching bag." Leanne snapped.

"Stay on the phone, wait a minute." Klaus told Leanne before he put the phone down and took a big, calming breath.

"What kind of mother is she? How horrible!" Rebekah exclaimed.

"She gives our mother a run for her money." Kol added.

"Have you ever heard of anything like this? Could it happen?" Klaus asked his siblings, Elijah mainly.

"I… I don't know… We definitely should go over there and check it out… Ask your closest witch contact to do a spell or something." Elijah advised as the other nodded.

"Pack a bag, we're going to California." Klaus told his siblings before he took the phone in his hand and told Leanne:

"I'm on my way, I'll be there by tomorrow morning. You better be there when I arrive. Text me your address right now." Klaus told her before he hung up.

.

As soon as he hung up and received the address, Klaus rushed to his bedroom and packed a bag while Elijah arranged for them to get a private jet as soon as possible. He knew that they all started hoping that it was true, that they had a new family member.

Before Derek called him they all had been on the verge of an argument and now it seemed to be forgotten by them all. They were all united in this small hope that he had a daughter that needed him. Hope for redemption for him, humanity for them all.

He remembered reading somewhere that hope was a powerful thing. He could see it now.

* * *

**_So, this is the first part of this new story... I don't know how long it's going to be. I guess it depends on my inspiration. _**

**_I think I know who I'm going to pair Veronica with but I'm open to suggestions. It'll be someone from TVD._**

**_Leave a review behind please, it's important for me to know if you like it or not._**

**_Lorelei Candice Black_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Part 2**_

* * *

"Niklaus?" Elijah asked his brother later as they waited for the plane to go off.

"Can't they hurry already?" He growled in return.

"Do you actually believe this woman's tale?" Kol asked him.

None of them had ever seen their hybrid brother in this state. He was nervous and silent, more than he had ever been and they all could see that he was confused, worried even.

"I was with Leanne for only a week while her husband was out of town and she was bored but… It was different… I was never quite able to forget about her after that…" Klaus replied.

"Like…you loved her or something?" Rebekah asked him, confused.

"No, it wasn't like that… I wasn't in love or even intrigued by her… Leanne is way too ordinary and desperate for me to feel anything like this… She was just a good lay but… In the past 16 years I couldn't help but think about her once in a while, it was like an urge to look for her and find more about her life…" Klaus replied honestly to his siblings.

"You think this child is really yours?" Elijah asked.

"She's hardly a child Elijah… According to the dates she's almost 16." Rebekah commented.

"Fine… You think this teenage girl is yours then?" Elijah corrected.

"It seems impossible yet…" Klaus replied, letting the end of the sentence hang in the air.

"Yet you want to believe it." Kol finished for him.

"Well, stranger things have happened… You are the hybrid after all and werewolves can have children all the time…" Elijah commented.

"And it could make sense if it had happened after I broke my curse but this happened 16 years ago, my curse wasn't broken back then and it's the first I hear about a child…" Klaus protested.

"Maybe you did something different then…Did you compel her at all or feed from her like you always do when you have sex with a human?" Kol asked him.

"It is highly disturbing that you know your own brother's sex habits." Rebekah frowned.

"I…I didn't need to compel her, she accepted what I was and I didn't feed from her because… Well I had drunk a lot of human blood earlier and didn't feel the need to feed from her the first time and the other times I simply didn't want to break habits… She was a good lay and I figured I wanted her to be willing to come back to me without being afraid if I ever came back in the area…" Klaus explained.

"Maybe this mixed with you being a hybrid made it possible… Curse or not, it happened." Elijah suggested.

"I already called back my witch contact in LA, Derek. He'll be on his way to the address Leanne gave me with answers as soon as he gets them but he did say that it could be possible… he, too, said that being a hybrid might make it possible." Klaus replied before he glanced back outside.

The plane was now high in the sky and Klaus went back to looking outside, wondering if this girl could really be his child and what she would be like. Would she accept him? Would she give him the unwavering love a child always gave his parents or was it too late already?

She had probably loved a lot the father she had just lost. Would she be willing to accept another father in her life and in her heart?

.

"Mom… What is it?" Veronica asked her mother as she came back inside after walking Back-up.

Her mother was sitting on the couch of their small apartment and her bags were packed by her side. Dinner wasn't ready and everything was quiet.

"Veronica… We both know that I'm not the best mother there is and I'm not fit to take care of you… I just can't do it." Leanne told her daughter without trying to cover anything.

"What am I going to do then?" Veronica asked her mother as she cried.

Not only her best friend was dead but so was her father, the only one she had left after spending the past few months trying to solve the murder mystery that was her best friend's death. She hadn't even taken the time to try and make new friends. She had lost her old friends and worked her ass off to solve the case and now that it was done, she didn't even have her mother left. Mother for whom Veronica had spent all of her savings in a rehab center that Leanne had left long before the program was over.

"I have something to tell you Veronica… Keith was not your biological father." Leanne started and Veronica interrupted her.

"If you're trying to tell me that Jake Kane is my father and that I need to go live with them, with Celeste, in the house where my best friend died less than a year ago then you're deluded!" Veronica snapped at her mother as tears kept on running down her cheeks.

"No, he's not your father either… Listen Veronica, we both know that you're a very smart girl, you always have been so I hope that you'll believe the truth when I tell you that your father's name is Klaus. He's a thousand years old half vampire, half werewolf hybrid." Leanne spoke the words as calmly as she could and she could see that Veronica would need more than that to get convinced.

"Why are you doing this? Why can't you just tell me the truth? Who was he?" The crying girl yelled at the mother she had barely seen during the last year of her life.

"I am telling you the truth. Don't you find weird that you barely ever get sick? That you heal faster than anybody else when you cut yourself? Why do you think you were always smarter than everybody around you?" Leanne asked her.

"If what you're saying is true it means that I'm a quarter vampire and a quarter werewolf and yet nothing _that_ weird happens to me, ever." The teenage girl tried to reason with her mother.

"I don't know why that is but maybe your father will be able to answer you. He should be here in a few hours, probably tomorrow morning."

"Why are your bags packed?" Veronica asked.

She figured that by now there was no more reasoning with her mother. She would deal with things the next morning with her father if he really came.

"I'm leaving… I never should have come back to begin with. You don't need me. Your father will handle everything." Leanne replied.

"You're going to leave me alone here until he arrives? What if someone else comes? What if something happens? How will I even know it's really him?" Veronica asked her mother incredulously.

"I have to go and you won't be alone, Back-up will be here with you. You know I hate this dog. As for your father… Well, he has a British accent, blond curly hair and blue eyes. He doesn't look older than 25. Also like every vampires he has fangs, you'll just have to ask him to show them to you. He won't be able to come inside without your personal invitation. I'm sorry Veronica, that's all I can do for you." Leanne declared before she grabbed her bags and left the apartment.

.

Veronica couldn't sleep that night.

Two days ago she was burying her father and today her mother was leaving her after announcing that her father wasn't who she thought he was.

Could she even believe the whole vampire story?

The teenage girl spent the night on her lap top, researching the name '_Klaus'_ and the word '_Vampire'_ together but it was the internet, out of several hundred thousand results, she'd be lucky if even one was true.

Every single noise made her jump and around 5 in the morning, she decided to stop pretending she was ever going to sleep and she took a shower, changed clothes and took Back-up for a walk before she fed him and served herself a big bowl of cereals.

She didn't know what to do now.

Should she contact the good for nothing sheriff and tell him that her mother left and that she was alone or should she call the social services directly? She figured that even if the vampire story was impossible, maybe her mother did speak partially the truth, maybe she did have a father on his way to take care of her and so she decided to wait until the beginning of the afternoon before she called anyone.

She definitely wasn't in the mood to hear Lamb bragging about being the best or giving her another of his Wizard of Oz pre made lame replies. She hadn't seen him since she solved Lilly's murder and her father died and she didn't want to see him ever again if she had the choice. Actually, if the vampire father story was true, she'd be tempted to ask him to feed on Lamb and make him suffer, just for the satisfaction of seeing that stupid satisfied smirk whipped off his face. And if vampire could control people's mind, maybe her father would be willing to compel the sheriff to go to work dressed like Dorothy for an entire week, that would definitely be fun to watch... If what her mother told her was the truth, which Veronica doubted greatly.

For about an hour she tried reading a book but it was no use, she couldn't concentrate on it, no matter how hard she tried. The words simply didn't register in her head, they didn't make sense, not tonight.

Then she tried watching the TV but she couldn't get herself to watch it either so she went to clean up her already spotless bedroom and she started going through her father's things, sorting between what she wanted to keep and what she could give out to Good will.

When 9 am arrived, Veronica was about to give up on staying inside in case someone came and take her dog for another walk, just for something to do, when someone knocked on the door and Back-up barked a couple of times to let her know that there was someone on the other side.

She could see the shape of 4 persons on the other side and it made her nervous.

"I've got it Back-up. Good boy." Veronica told him before she opened the door.

On the other side of the door stood three young men and a girl that probably wasn't much older than she was.

"How can I help you?" Veronica asked as she held Back-up by the collar.

"Is this where Leanne Mars lives?" The blond man asked and Veronica couldn't help but notice that he fitted her mother's description.

"She did until she left me here alone last night." Veronica nodded.

"Damn it, I told her to be there when I arrived!" The blond man cussed in anger and Veronica couldn't help but notice that it sounded a lot like a growl.

"We'll sort it out Niklaus, calm down. Now isn't the time to scare the girl." The brown haired man with a suit said calmly as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry but… Who are you?" Veronica asked, trying not to sound too rude.

"Before she left, didn't she tell you anything special… about someone named Klaus?" The blond man asked her again softly.

"She did…You're him aren't you?"

"I am… This is my younger sister Rebekah, my younger brother Kol and my older brother Elijah. I'm Niklaus, Klaus for short. A…gifted friend of mine is on his way with the necessary equipment to check if your mother's allegations are true." Klaus told her.

"Okay… She said that you were… I mean, is it true that you can't come inside without an invitation?" She asked him.

It was her subtle way of asking him if he, indeed, really was supernatural.

Klaus raised his hand and pressed it against the invisible protection of the front door, showing her how his palm pressed against the invisible barrier.

"It is." He replied.

"I… Oh, hell, what have I to lose anymore? Come on in." She told them as she stepped aside and let them inside.

Everyone entered and went to sit in the living room area.

"So… You're Veronica?" Klaus asked her after she had sat down in front of them.

She nodded nervously.

"Yes… I heard of you for the first time last night right before she left… My mother I mean..." She informed them as she watched her dog that was carefully sniffing the newcomers.

"Is your dog…friendly?" Kol asked her.

"Seriously brother? You're a thousand years old vampire with a hybrid werewolf for a brother and this dog scares you?" Rebekah rolled her eyes.

"Back-up is pretty friendly to anyone who is nice to me but he can get pretty protective if someone either attacks me or starts shouting at me." Veronica replied and Kol nodded before he carefully started petting the dog that seemed to enjoy it and sat down by Kol's side, placing his head on Kol's lap.

"Your mother said something about you healing faster than normal humans… Maybe that's something we can check out now before Derek arrives with answers…" Elijah suggested.

"No, you don't have to hurt yourself!" Klaus replied, glaring at his older brother.

"Oh… Don't worry, it's okay. It's no trouble..." Veronica nodded before she walked in the kitchen, grabbed a knife and cut the palm of her hand.

They all watched as the cut healed quickly. It was slower than for a vampire but quicker than a human.

"I think there is some truth in this story Niklaus…" Elijah told his hybrid brother.

"Just look at her! She has Mother's eyes." Rebekah added.

"This is so messed up!" Veronica exclaimed as she paced the room.

"What do you mean?" Elijah asked her since his brother, Klaus, seemed to be unable to move or say anything as the truth made its way into his brain.

"I just spent the last few months busting my ass to solve my best friend's murder mystery, losing all my friends in the process. I got raped and told by the lame sheriff that stole my father's job to _go see the wizard and ask for some backbone _when I went to report it only to find out after I investigated it on my own that I was drugged by a girl that I hate and rapped by a boy I was one of the rare people to be nice to. Two days ago I buried the only person who's always been there for me only to learn that he wasn't really my father by my mother who couldn't stick around me more than 3 days before she bolted out the door, probably taking all of the money left with her since it didn't seem to be enough for her to make me use all of my savings on a useless rehab center for her. It shouldn't be like this! It's not supposed to be this way! Why does it keep on happening to me? What did I do?" Veronica cried and they all felt bad for her.

She couldn't hold it together anymore, she was breaking down in front of this people she had just met and she couldn't stop herself. She hadn't meant to tell them about her rape but she hadn't been able to hold it in, it just came out along with the rest. She felt strangely at ease with these people, capable of trusting them.

Suddenly, surprising everyone, Klaus stood up and awkwardly took the crying teenager in his arms, comforting her.

Klaus just couldn't bare the sight of her crying, taking this young girl in his arms and comforting her was instinct, it came naturally to him and it was all he needed to know that Leanne had told the truth. He would still need his witch friend to tell them how it was possible and what Veronica was exactly but he knew right then and there that she was his daughter, that he needed to take care of her, to protect her.

He also knew that people needed to pay for raping her. The girl who drugged her, the sheriff who had mocked her and the boy who had abused her. These three people would die and he only needed one look shared with his sister to know that she agreed and would be taking care of it. It fitted her whole "_us girls need to stick together and have each other's back_".

"It's going to be alright sweetheart, I promise you. I'm here now and I will make it all better." Klaus whispered in her ear as she clung to him as if her life depended on it.

"Brother?" Rebekah asked, not wanting to break the moment but needing to know what was going on.

"I can just feel it… I know she's my daughter. We'll still ask Derek to do the spell but I'm pretty sure we won't be surprised." Klaus told them.

"Are you sure?" Veronica asked him in a small voice.

"I can feel it. Now come on, you look exhausted. Why don't you go take a nap until my witch friend gets here and we can know more?" He asked her.

"I need to take Back-up for a walk." The young detective protested weakly.

"Do you trust me?" Klaus asked her.

"Of course I do." She nodded.

For someone with trust issues, she did trust him more than she had ever trusted anybody else, Keith included.

"Then you go and get some sleep Sweetheart, I'll stay right here and one of your uncles will take your dog for a walk." Klaus suggested in a soft, caring tone that surprised everybody.

"I'll do it. I think he likes me." Kol offered.

Veronica smiled and thanked them before she went in her bedroom and got in bed, leaving her door opened behind her. She wanted to keep an ear on them, to know if they were going to leave her behind too or not.

* * *

**Second part...**

**What did you think?**

**Review please,**

**Lorelei Candice Black**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Part 3_**

* * *

While Veronica took a nap and Kol walked her over protective dog, Klaus took his phone out asked one of his hybrid who happened to live nearby to come in Neptune and get ready in case they needed him. There was no way he was risking his new daughter's life. He wanted to have backup in case something happened.

"I'll go in town and look into her rape… No need to ask her the details or the names in her state when I can find everything out so fast. I'll start with the sheriff. Don't worry brother, people will pay for this. She's your daughter, it means that she's one of us and we stick together, always and forever." Rebekah told him gently before she rushed out of the apartment and started on her mission to avenge her niece.

"Thank you." Klaus told her right before she went out the door.

"Don't worry brother, you know how Rebekah gets when someone she cares about gets hurt. She can be relentless. You can trust her to take care of this." Elijah said to Klaus with a reassuring smile.

"I know... You're right, I shouldn't worry about this..." Klaus nodded.

Elijah couldn't believe what he was seeing.

His brother, the one he believed too far gone for redemption, was actually showing his humanity to this presently fragile young girl that appeared to be his daughter. That alone was enough for Elijah to love this new niece of his.

"What are you doing?" Elijah asked Klaus as he opened several kitchen cupboards and the fridge.

"I doubt she had much to eat in the past few days and she needs to eat. I'm going to try and make her something for when she wakes up." Klaus replied.

"You have some time before she wakes up. You can do this later." The suited original advised.

"I can't just sit around and do nothing Elijah… I need to do something for her…" Klaus exclaimed.

"Why don't you go and make sure she doesn't have nightmares? I'll step outside and watch out for Derek so he doesn't wake her up with the doorbell. He shouldn't be too long now." Elijah replied, understanding his brother's confused state.

This was new to them all.

"I… I don't want to intrude on her privacy…" Klaus protested weakly.

"I'm sure she won't mind brother. If she did, she would have closed her door behind her. She left it open, it's a sign." Elijah assured him and Klaus nodded.

The hybrid entered his daughter's bedroom and looked around. She had a professional camera on her desk and if the pictures on the wall were hers, then she was gifted. Her camera was not the newest or the best model there was and yet her pictures were superb.

An artist, just like him.

He made a mental note to buy her a better camera later, the latest model of the best brand there was, and sat by her side on the bed. With the way it moved under him, he understood that it was a waterbed. He had never had one but if she liked it, he would get her a new one too.

Even while sleeping, his daughter was crying and he softly erased her tears with his thumb before he placed his hand against the side of her face. He wanted to enter her mind but her sleep looked peaceful enough now so he changed his mind and simply settled on staying by her side, waiting for her to wake up and listening to the beating of her heart.

"Will you leave me too?" Veronica mumbled in her sleep and even though she wasn't awake, Klaus knew that her desperate question was for him.

"Never Sweetheart. I'll be there for you, always and forever." He replied, kissing her forehead and he couldn't help but see the smile that just appeared on her face.

.

About an hour and a half after Veronica went to sleep, Kol came back with an exhausted dog who went right for his bowl of water.

"What did you do Kol? Vampire ran him around town?" Elijah asked him.

He had been worried for his brother. It didn't take this long to walk a dog, did it?

"Well, I took him to the beach. We ran, we played fetch… I should have gotten a dog centuries ago, this little fellow is great. I hope Veronica will let me play with him once in a while." Kol exclaimed happily while the trusty dog walked to his mistress's bed and lay down beside Klaus, waiting for her to wake up.

"Well, I'm happy to know that you enjoyed yourself. Did you see Rebekah at all?" Elijah asked him.

"I did. She was compelling some mean blond bimbo bitch to tell her about Veronica's…you know. I think she already took care of the sheriff one way or another." Kol replied and Elijah nodded.

"Someone's coming. Hopefully it's Derek with answers." Elijah exclaimed as he went to open the door before the man could knock on it.

"Did you find anything?" Elijah asked him before the middle aged man could say anything.

"The spirits say that the girl is Klaus' daughter. She's also a hybrid but won't be fully one until her 18th birthday. Drinking blood will only become necessary after she turns 18 and then she'll be a true hybrid. She'll be able to make hybrids without blood from a doppelganger and the only way to kill her will be a white oak stake, like her father. She won't be as strong as he is though and just like you originals, she can't be compelled. This is all I could find from the spirits." Derek told the elder Mickealson brother.

"How could I conceive her?" Klaus asked from the doorway, one eye on his sleeping daughter and the other on the witch.

"You're the hybrid. You managed to procreate because you didn't compel her mother or drank from her while you had sex or for the week after that. It's one of the loopholes of you being the hybrid I guess. Oh, and since she's the last living descendant of Esther, she'll be able to use magic." Derek replied.

"Will she be able to have children? Will she grow old?" Klaus asked in a calm and serious voice.

"She'll stop growing old as soon as she turns 18 but as for your other question, I don't know. The spirits didn't tell me. I guess you'll find out with time." Derek replied.

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Elijah asked after Klaus nodded and went back to watch over his sleeping daughter.

"I've told you all I know. All I can add is that the spirits seem to like her. They believe that her being in Klaus' life is a good thing, that it will make him better. And by _the spirits_ I include your mother. Knowing of Veronica is enough for her to think you'll all find some kind of redemption. She's found peace and won't try to come back to life to kill you anymore." Derek replied.

"Thank you." Elijah replied with a nod.

"I'll go now, I have a friend in town I need to visit. Good luck." The witch replied before he went back through the door.

.

Around noon, Rebekah came back.

She seemed satisfied and if they didn't ask her how things went, it was obvious that she was happy with the results. Elijah and Kol filled her in with what Derek told them about Veronica.

"How has she been?" She asked once they were done talking.

"I think her sleep is pretty peaceful. Klaus hasn't left her side." Elijah whispered.

Suddenly, they all heard Veronica's heart beating faster, a sign that she was waking up and so they stopped talking and turned their heads toward her bedroom, waiting to see or hear what would happen next.

.

Veronica slowly opened her eyes and Klaus kept her hand in his.

"You're real? It wasn't a dream?" She asked softly.

"Yes, I'm real. How did you sleep Sweetheart?" He answered.

"Good, I think… What time is it?" She asked as she sat up.

"Around noon. My witch friend came and gave us the answers we wanted if you want to hear them. But first I think you need to eat something." He told her with a gentle smile.

"You stayed with me the entire time?" She asked him.

"I did. Now come on, I think it's time you got to know your aunt and uncles better." Klaus stood up and extended his hand to her.

Shyly, Veronica took it and let him guide her to the kitchen where Elijah started making her a sandwich with what little he found in the nearly empty fridge.

Apparently, before she left, Leanne hadn't bothered to make sure there would be enough food in the apartment to feed her daughter.

While Veronica ate her lunch, her father told her everything that Derek had informed them of and he followed it with answering all of her questions about the supernatural world. It was a lot to take in for the young girl of course but she felt that it was the truth, that these people were really her family and that she was safe with them.

"What am I going to do now?" She asked when they were done explaining everything to her.

"You'll come with us of course!" Rebekah replied.

"As long as it's what you want." Elijah added.

"When you were asleep you asked me if I'd leave you and I told you that I wouldn't. I will stay by your side Veronica, Always and Forever. You're my family and I will take care of you. All you have to decide is if you want to stay here or would rather go somewhere else. Whatever you decide, I'll make the necessary arrangements." Klaus told her, looking her in the eyes so she could see that he was being honest.

"I hate this town, It's hell. I don't want to stay here." She said as she shook her head.

"Then I guess we'll take you back to Mystic Fall's with us." Klaus smiled.

"Are you sure you want me?" She asked him.

"You're my daughter, something I never thought would be possible. You're my miracle. Of course I want you." Klaus reassured her.

"We all do Veronica." Rebekah added as the other two nodded.

"Can Back-up come too?" She asked shyly.

"Of course he can. The little guy and I are best friends now, didn't he tell you?" Kol smiled.

"How soon can we leave?" The blond teenage girl asked her father.

"Don't you want time to say goodbye to some people?" Rebekah asked her.

"No… I mean, just Weevil but it can be done before we leave. I don't have anyone else left in this town."

"Then as soon as you have everything you want packed, we can go." Klaus smiled at her.

"Keep just a bag with what you need for a few days with you. I'll order a moving truck right away for everything else." Elijah added.

"Don't leave anything behind, we have plenty of storage for everything. Even if you don't think you want it now, you might want it later. Trust me." Klaus told her.

"I'll go and pack right away." Veronica smiled.

"Don't be silly, we're not about to let you do everything by yourself." Rebekah rolled her eyes.

"Put us to work sweet niece of mine. Our vampire muscles need work." Kol joked.

For the rest of the day, they packed everything according to Veronica's wishes.

Mainly, she left behind Keith's stuff, even if she kept a few meaningful objects, the rest she put in boxes for good will. She made a point of taking all of the things that were tied to her childhood. Baby pictures, Christmas ornaments, photo albums, videos… She took her entire bedroom too but left behind the waterbed who reminded her of Keith too much and of the lie that had been her life so far.

Since Mars Investigations needed to be packed up too, Veronica gave the keys to Elijah and Kol who went to take care of it. Mainly, Veronica asked them to destroy the files and keep all of the equipment. Knowing it shouldn't take too much time, the two brothers nodded and hurried there to do as she wished.

* * *

**What did you think?**

**Don't forget to review!**

**Lorelei Candice Black**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Part 4**_

* * *

Kol and Elijah had just gone to get a few pizzas for their dinner while Rebekah and Klaus finished helping Veronica sorting through what she would give Good Will when someone knocked on the door.

"It's a human." Klaus assured her, though he doubted she had any other sort of visitors, besides them.

Veronica nodded and went to open the door. She was surprised to find Duncan Kane on the other side of it and wondered what the Kane's would try to do to her now.

"Duncan? What are you doing here?" She asked him as Klaus and Rebekah stayed hidden in her bedroom so they didn't bother her, giving her the choice to introduce them or not.

She didn't let him in and staying in the middle of the door so he understood that he couldn't come in, that he wasn't welcome anymore, in her house or in her life.

"Veronica… Your mother came by late last night to talk to my father… I heard my parents talking about it… She told them that you weren't my father's daughter." Duncan informed her as he stood on his side of the door with a big smile on his face, as if it had been the best news he had heard in a long time.

"Is the celebratory party over yet then?" Veronica asked him in a sarcastic tone.

She could very well picture Celeste Kane popping open a bottle of Champagne to celebrate the fact that Veronica wasn't a Kane and couldn't possibly take their fortune away.

"Well, mom was pretty happy yes… I… Since you're not my sister… I was wondering… You know… if you wanted to go out with me sometimes?" Duncan asked her nervously.

"Are you kidding me? For the past few months you royally ignored me, you let your friends do horrible things to me. Never once did you stand up for me, defended me. You didn't even break up with me, you simply started ignoring me one day without so much as an explanation… Now you expect us to get back together? After everything your family has done to me and my... Keith?" She snapped at him, her voice rising.

Calling Keith Mars her father just didn't sound right anymore.

"I still love you, Veronica." He replied, pleading.

"What about Meg? Aren't you dating her now?" She asked him.

"I broke up with her this afternoon." Duncan replied.

"Oh, you mean you're actually capable of breaking up or did you just start ignoring her too?" Veronica rolled her eyes.

"Veronica, please…" Duncan pleaded.

"Well, you're out of luck. My biological father and his siblings arrived this morning and I'm leaving tomorrow. I'm moving in with them and am finally getting out of this hellish town." Veronica told him.

"You're leaving? Why?" He asked her, surprise all over his face.

"Because I was given the choice and there is nothing left for me in this town. I'm going away with my father, my aunt and my two uncles. I can't stay here any longer. I need a new start." She told him.

"Will you stay in touch?" He asked her pleadingly.

"Be serious Duncan. I'm not my mother. I'm not going to go back to you every time you call like my mother is doing with your father. I'm leaving tomorrow and I'm leaving this town behind me for good." She shook her head.

"Are you alone? I could spend the evening here and…" He suggested.

"You're not hearing me Duncan. No, I'm not alone. My father and my aunt are here, helping me pack up everything and no, you can't come inside. It's over between us, just like it's been over even since you decided to ignore me instead of telling me what was going on. It's too late, too much has happened. Everything bad that's happened to me in the last year is your family's fault. It's too late. You should have come much sooner, you should have stood up by my side. You should apologize to Meg and get back together with her because there's no chance of anything else happening between us ever again." Veronica replied seriously before she closed the door.

Through the curtain of the glass front door, she watched as Duncan shook his head and finally turned around and left.

"Are you alright Sweetheart?" Klaus asked her.

"I'm fine…" She smiled.

She couldn't call him dad yet, not so soon after losing Keith Mars who had been her father for so long. The title of DAD had to be earned, it would take a few days.

"You know, we could stay here a while longer if you want to try and work things out with him…" Rebekah assured her.

"No, I'm fine. Nothing more can happen between us and I don't want to stay in this town for one moment longer than I have to. I feel like Neptune sits on a Hell Mouth and is about to swallow me whole." Veronica replied as she poured herself a glass of water.

"Good. I didn't like him much. You're too good for him." Klaus nodded as he joined them.

"Because you think you'll ever approve of anyone she's going to date?" Rebekah rolled her eyes.

"We'll see." Klaus chuckled.

"Yeah, I see how you are with me and I'm only your sister. Get ready to give up on men Veronica. Nobody is ever going to be good enough for you to your father or even us." Rebekah said right before the door opened on Kol and Elijah carrying 3 large pizzas, a large bottle of soda and Ben and Jerry's ice cream.

.

They waited until the next morning to leave and on the way to Neptune's airport, Veronica decided that there was only one person she wanted to say goodbye to. Someone who had helped her as much as she had helped him during the past year and that's the reason why her father's fancy rental car was now parked in the middle of the PCH, in front of the Navarro house.

"V, what brings you here? You need another favor already?" Weevil asked her.

He had been fixing his bike up when she arrived and he was now wondering what kind of favor she needed this time and why she was getting out of this fancy car instead of her Le Baron. He was hoping she didn't have any big probelms, dealing with the loss of her father was hard enough for her.

"No… I... I came to say goodbye." She replied.

"Going on a vacation with your mother or something?" He asked her as he whipped his hands on a rag.

"No, my mother left… She… Before she left she said that Keith Mars wasn't my father, whiwh I know he suspected… She called my real father, told him he had a 16 years old daughter and now he's taking me home with him, in Virginia." She explained.

"Wow, V… That's something. What do you think of him?" He asked her as he eyed the people in the car, trying to see something through the tainted windows.

"Surprisingly enough, I feel like I can trust him… I feel pretty good about this… A new beginning somewhere new is just what I needed." Veronica told him.

"Well, that's good I guess. Just be careful because I won't be able to come to the rescue if you go this far." Weevil chuckled as he gave her a one handed hug.

"You too. I won't be here to bail you and your boys out." She smiled.

"I'm going to miss that head tilt of yours. You definitely should warn your father about its power." He told her.

"Now, why would I do that?" She chuckled.

"What about the Le Baron?" He asked her.

"My uncle is having it fixed completely by some fancy professional. They're putting a new engine in it. It'll be delivered in Mystic Fall's when it's done." She replied.

"Good then. Keep in touch okay V?" He asked her and she nodded.

"Goodbye Weevil." Veronica told him before they hugged one last time and she walked back to the car.

"That boy likes you Veronica." Rebekah told her niece as soon as she entered the car.

"Nah, he's still hung over Lilly. What he likes in me is the part that was best friend with her, the part she loved." She replied.

"I'm telling you, you'll see him again." Rebekah assured her with a knowing smile.

"So, what's the power of the head tilt he talked about?" Klaus asked her with a smile.

"It's nothing… He realized that every time I asked him to do something for me I tilted my head to the side and he thinks that's why he never could say no to me… It became a joke over time." She explained.

"Well, we shall see if we Originals are impervious to this power then." Klaus replied with humor in his voice.

The car drove by the beach and Veronica glanced out. She could see Duncan and Meg Manning talking seriously together, not far from them was a drunk Logan laughing his ass off with a drunk Dick Casablanca. Cassidy was nowhere to be seen, neither was Madison Sinclair and Veronica briefly wondered if her family had already taken care of things like they said they would. Shaking her head, she forced herself not to think about it.

It didn't matter anymore, neither did all of her old friends, the ones who had turned their backs on her.

Suddenly, she felt a hand over hers and she turned to see that her father, who was sitting in the back seat of the SUV with her, had taken her hand in his and squeezed it. Instinctively, he had felt that she needed his support and had shown it the best way he knew how.

"It'll be okay Veronica, I promise." He whispered to her before he kissed her forehead.

"I know." She smiled.

She wasn't alone and she felt that she never would be ever again.

* * *

**So... What is your verdict?**

**Who would you like to see Veronica paired with? **

**A reminder: She's 16 but in her senior year because she's super smart.**

**Review please,**

**Lorelei Candice Black**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Part 5_**

* * *

They eventually arrived at the airport and quickly entered the private jet Elijah had reserved.

The ride would be long enough so they took this opportunity to get to know each other better. They were all facing each other, with Back-up lying between them all.

Veronica told them more about her, how she started investigating the people that came in her life after Lilly's death, how she spent the few months since October 3rd sharing her time between over studying and solving her best friend's case, sometimes taking breaks to solve other smaller cases that would pay her enough to buy herself her camera or her computer or even to fix her always breakin car. She could see pride on their faces and she liked it, she wanted them to be proud of her.

"The funny thing is… Lilly always told me that I shouldn't wear yellow cotton dresses, that it wasn't who I was… It took her dying and this horrible party for me to finally listen to her and wear the kind of clothes she wanted me to wear." Veronica confessed, knowing that her father and uncles probably wouldn't get it.

"I get it… But when you live as long as I have, you'll learn to recognize who people really are immediately. Lilly sounded nice though…and smart." Rebekah replied.

"She was great… Well, she wouldn't settle for great, she wanted to be called _Fabulous_… and she was." Veronica then smiled, remembering Lilly and how she had haunted her for the past year.

"What is it?" Elijah asked her.

"I've been thinking… For the past year… I've seen Lilly quite often… She was kind of guiding me, giving me comments on what was happening, showing up every time I needed her… I figured it was the product of my imagination, something I had subconsciously created to concentrate on solving this crime but then…" She started and stopped, looking at them.

"You think maybe she was really a ghost or a spirit?" Kol asked her.

"Would it have been possible, even if she wasn't supernatural?" She asked back.

"Of course." Elijah nodded.

"If the past thousand years have thought us anything is that anything is possible." Klaus told her gently.

"Will she stop coming now that her murder is solved?" The new Mickealson asked.

"Who knows? If she wasn't ready to die, which is very possible given her young age and what you told us about her, she might stick around a while longer…" Elijah explained.

"You might see her more often now that you believe in the supernatural and that you're a part of it. Since you're more open to it..." Kol added.

"The irony is that I believed everything so quickly because of the fact I saw Lilly so much before…" Veronica replied.

"Didn't I tell you that you were special and fabulous Veronica?" Veronica heard and jumped before she turned to the voice and saw Lilly sitting in Kol's lap.

"What is it?" Klaus asked her.

"Lilly… She's here… She's sitting on Kol's lap…" Veronica said before she looked at her best friend's ghost and said "I've missed you."

"Don't worry Veronica, I'm not going anywhere. You're so lucky though, your father and your uncles are so hot…" Lilly told her best friend.

"Lilly!" Veronica complained with a chuckle and a blush.

"What is it?" Rebekah asked her.

"Lilly said that I was lucky because my father and my uncles are hot." Veronica announced.

"Your father might be the hottest though." Lilly said, still sitting on Kol's lap.

"If my father is the hottest then why are you sitting on Kol's lap?" Veronica asked while the rest of them chuckled and Kol frowned.

"Because I'm trying to be decent. Your witch grandmother told me that if they drink a bit of your blood they'll be able to see me too, always." Lilly told her best friend.

"Lilly said that my grandmother, a witch, your mother, told her that if you all drank a bit of my blood you'll be able to see her all the time." Veronica told them.

"Do you want us to?" Rebekah asked her.

"I'd love to, yes." Veronica replied and so they all drank a bit of blood from her wrist.

Kol, who had been told Lilly was sitting on his lap had still been surprised to see her and it made him jump. The dead girl simply laughed as she stood and went to sit in the free chair by Rebekah.

For the next few minutes, they all got to know Lilly a bit before the ghost said that she had to go and would come back later, that she'd never be far from Veronica.

"So, that was Lilly... I like her." Rebekah declared.

"Too bad she's dead, she's hot." Kol added before Elijah slapped him behind the head.

.

As the trip continued, Klaus was also very open and honest with her and he did tell her that he had made a few enemies along the way. Veronica kept her possible comment to herself but the thought that, just like her father, she had made a few enemies did cross her mind. Like father like daughter they said…

"Will there be some of your enemies in Mystic Fall's?" Veronica asked him.

"Yes, a few of them but they're pretty harmless… I mean, I'm still alive aren't I?" He asked her with a smile.

"You did cut it pretty close brother." Kol reminded him.

"Maybe, but now that they know that because of the bloodlines they'll die if they kill me, I'm safe. Beside, I think that the fact that I didn't kill them in retaliation will prevent them from trying anythign else, especially since I could kill them all in the blink of an eye." Klaus replied.

"Why are we going back there if you have enemies? Shouldn't you go somewhere new?" Veronica asked her father.

"I… I'd like to see if there's a way to reform some kind of friendship with Stefan Salvatore before I go somewhere else." Klaus told her.

"And he'd like to win over Caroline Forbes. I mean, she is, after all, the only one he's been capable of loving for a long time…" Rebekah teased her big brother.

"Really? Who is she?" The younger blond asked.

"She's a vampire, only a little over 18, she was changed about a year or so ago… She's beautiful and always cheerful…" Klaus started to say but he was cut off by Rebekah:

"She has the worst taste in friends. I mean, the stupid Doppelganger is her best friend and she's dating one of Klaus' hybrids."

Veronica took out her computer and started looking for the girl who had stolen her father's heart through the same PI database she used before.

"She seems decent… A sheriff for a mother, I can relate to that… I'm not a big fan of the magazines she reads anymore but I know that Lilly also had a subscription to those… I might be able to become friends with her, bring her closer to you…" Veronica commented while they all looked above her shoulder to the computer.

"You really are full of resources, aren't you?" Elijah commented.

"This is pretty handy, yes." Veronica nodded before she started doing researches on the other people they had mentioned so she could know more about them.

* * *

**So... Lilly's here... **

**I won't make her come back like I did in previous stories I wrote. She'll remain a ghost, but it doesn't mean that she can't find love with another spirit...  
**

**A few of you asked me about Wallace... This story starts in the same year Lilly died, Wallace arrived later, the next year. So he's not in Neptune yet and won't be in this story. Sorry.**

**Tell me what you think in a review please!**

**Lorelei Candice Black**


	6. Chapter 6

**_Part 6_**

* * *

When the plane landed, they all went to the car they had left at the airport when they went to find her. Back-up was held with a leash by Kol and Klaus was carrying his daughter's bag. The sun was shining brightly in the sky and Veronica decided to take this as a sign that she had made the right choice, that moving with her father was the right decision.

"Back-up will be happy, our house in Mystic Fall's has a gigantic back yard." Kol told Veronica as Elijah started the car.

"He'll love this, yes." She nodded.

"So will you Sweetheart, I promise. You'll chose your bedroom from all the free ones and we'll go shopping for the furniture you want right after." Klaus said as he once more sat by her side.

"Is there a high school in this town or will I be home schooled?" She asked him, the second option sounding more hopeful than the first one.

"There is a high school, but if you want to be home schooled, I don't see a problem with it. You're going to live forever, you'll have forever to have the high school experience." He replied.

"Oh, come on Veronica, you want to go to school don't you? We can go together!" Rebekah pleaded.

"You're a thousand years old vampire and you want to go to high school?" Veronica asked her in a doubtful tone.

"I never actually managed to finish high school… Every time I try something comes up and I end up daggered or having to run away. I want the full experience, to go to dances and everything, especially since there is only 2 months left. Please?" Rebekah asked Veronica.

"Fine… High school it is. I just hope this time it won't be sitting on a hell mouth." Veronica joked.

"I'll call the hybrid that's supervising the selling of Keith Mars' office for you and ask him to do the necessary compelling so your file can be transferred to Mystic Fall's high right away." Klaus told her as he got his cell phone out of his pocket.

"From Pirates to Timber-wolves, from beaches to the Mystic Grill…" Kol started.

"From spoiled rich kids and their evil plotting parents to a bunch of half clueless half stupid supernatural teens..." Veronica finished, making them all chuckle.

"We'll get along just fine." Rebekah smirked.

"What grade are you in anyway? Sophomore?" Elijah asked her.

"I should be a sophomore but as my mother told you on the phone, I'm a bit smarter than the usual teenage human. During freshman year they put me a grade higher. I'm finishing my junior year and they were speaking about putting me in senior year… I was top of the class and most of the teachers were giving me senior level work anyway…" Veronica replied.

"I grow prouder every second." Klaus declared and Veronica blushed.

"Well, I did enroll as a senior so I could torture Stefan and Elena a bit… We can be class mates!" Rebekah told her niece.

"That would be nice… Maybe for once I won't be bored in class." The younger blond replied.

"And you'll graduate in a couple of months." Klaus added.

.

They arrived at the house at the beginning of the afternoon and the first thing Kol did was announce he was going to help Back-up find his spot in the yard and in the house.

"We should have gotten him a dog a long time ago…" Elijah muttered.

"Well, as long as Back-up is happy…" Veronica shrugged her shoulders.

"You're not going to get jealous or anything, right?" Klaus asked her, hoping he wouldn't have to dagger Kol because he stole a dog's affection from his daughter, though he would if he had to.

"Don't worry, Back-up will always come back to me. I don't mind if he makes other friends on the way. He's a family dog and we're a family, right?" Veronica asked Klaus who replied with a nod and a big smile.

"Now come on, I'll show you the house and the best rooms for you to choose." The proud father said as he guided his daughter through the house and upstairs.

Veronica chose the room closest to her father's, the one he had thought she would want and after the put her bag inside, he showed her his room, his drawing room and the rest of the house, leaving the basement out of the tour for now.

"I saw in Neptune that you seem to like photography… We can make one of the rooms into a dark room, get you all the equipment if you want…" He suggested.

"You don't mind?" She asked him with a big smile.

"Of course not. Now come on, we'll go shopping for whatever you need and get some food on the way. We also need to buy a few things for Back-up." Klaus told her.

"I'll keep Back-up occupied until you come back. Don't worry, I won't compel him to forget you." Kol told her in a joking tone.

"Can you even compel dogs?" Veronica wondered in a chuckle as she followed her father to his car.

"Probably, I personally never cared enough to try but knowing Kol he probably did just for the fun of it." He replied with an amused smile as he held open the passenger door of his car for her.

.

Klaus drove Veronica to several shops after they got something to eat at the Mystic Grill where the only friend of Elena Gilbert that was actually present was Matt Donovan.

They started by the animal shop and bought food for Back-up, along with a few new toys, an outhouse so the dog could have his personal space in the back yard and a big cushion so he could be comfortable inside.

After that they went to a furniture shop and even though Veronica assured her father that he didn't have to spend that much money on her, he still bought her the bedroom set she liked the most, along with a fancy lamp for her to do her homework.

After that Klaus suggested they went to go shopping for clothes and Veronica didn't have it in her to argue. She had been expecting to go to one of the classic stores of the Mall or something but her father took her to one of those fancy stores where even Lilly never went. It was the kind of place where they barely exposed the clothes and where they gave you champagne while you shopped.

"I feel guilty getting all of this…" Veronica said as she watched her father pay for the pile of clothes she had liked and he insisted she got.

"Don't. If you need to get dressed, might as well do it in style, right? Especially since we don't have to worry about money." Klaus assured her and she nodded.

"Now, where should we go to get you the best photography equipment?" He wondered as he took his phone out, ready to look in an application for the best place.

"I think the best place is the internet. More choices. More options." She told him.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." She nodded.

"So, where should we go now? It's a big Mall… Lots of options…"

"You don't have to spend all of your money on me in one afternoon you know… I know you want to make up for the past 16 years but you didn't know, it's not your fault…" She told him.

"You're very smart… I just want us to spend some time alone, get to know each other without my siblings present…" Klaus told her.

"Okay then… Why don't we just walk along and see if one of us sees something we like? Maybe I could use with some new shoes." Veronica suggested.

"Good idea." He smiled happily.

They started walking and went in a book shop. Of course Veronica found a few books that she liked so Klaus bought them for her. She did offer to carry her own bags but he insisted that he could do it and couldn't be swayed. They bought a couple of pair of shoes, a few DVD's, a couple of t-shirts for Klaus and they got some ice cream before they decided it was time to go back home.

"Your furniture will be delivered tomorrow morning, I'll install it with your uncles while Rebekah takes you in town. Then you and I will go to the bank and I'll give you legal access to all of the family's assets." Klaus informed her as they loaded the car with their purchases.

"Thank you… You know you don't have to, right?" She asked him.

"I know, but I want you. You'll have to get used to being a Mickealson, Love." He told her.

"About that… Do you think it would be possible for me to officially change my last name from Mars to Mickealson? You know, along with ID's and everything…" She asked him.

"Of course. We'll take care of it tomorrow right after we go to the bank, as long as it's what you really want." He replied as he started the car.

"It's what I want…dad." She said and she smiled at him when she saw the smile grow on his face.

"I never thought I'd ever hear anyone calling me this… I like it." He told her with the smile still on his face as he grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"I do too."

.

When they arrived back to the house, Elijah had cooked dinner and while Klaus went to prepare for everything he needed to do the next day to legalize Veronica's belonging to their family, Rebekah went with her niece to see what she had bought and spend some time bonding.

* * *

**What do you think of this chapter?**

**Don't forget to review please,**

**Lorelei Candice Black**


	7. Chapter 7

**_Part 7_**

* * *

The Mickealson's first family dinner all together in their Mystic Fall's house went on pretty well. Veronica was definitely becoming friends with her aunt and if she hadn't really had time to bond with her two uncles yet, she liked how close she already was with her father.

"So you'll register at school under Veronica Mickealson then?" Elijah asked his niece at the table.

"Yes." She nodded with a smile.

"You know that it's going to raise suspicions from Elena Gilbert and her friends, right?" Kol asked her.

"Having enemies at school isn't new to me, don't worry. I have a feeling that my taser will be able to take care of their supernatural asses if they bother me. Plus, it's only for a couple more months before graduation. Dad said I would be able to register as a senior, that he'll compel them if he had to." Veronica replied.

"Plus, she'll have me. I'm not about to leave her unprotected. Us girls have to stick together." Rebekah added with a smile at the fact that Veronica had called Klaus dad.

They all smiled when they saw the purely happy smile that appeared on their hybrid brother's face when he was called '_dad'_ by his daughter in front of the rest of the family.

"A toast then, to welcome Veronica in our family and celebrate this new era. Family above all. Always and Forever together." Elijah said as he stood up with his wine glass in hand.

Veronica blushed as her father, Kol and Rebekah stood, raising their own glass and repeating the same oath.

"Thank you…" She whispered, looking down.

She was afraid of disappointing them, of not being good enough to be one of them but deep down she knew that she would be fine. They were her family, they would be there for her, no matter what.

.

The next morning, it took Veronica a minute to remember where she was and why. Slowly, she got up and walked out of the guest bedroom she was using until her father was done preparing her real bedroom only to find her two uncles walking through the front door with boxes in their arms.

"What's going on?" She asked them.

"Good Morning Veronica." Elijah greeted her.

"Good Morning Uncle Elijah." She replied.

"Klaus' hybrid just arrived with your moving truck and the store will arrive soon with your furniture." Elijah explained.

"I guess it's a good thing we got you to sleep in one of the guest room last night. A few more minutes and we would have had to wake you up." Kol chuckled, teasing her.

"Sweetheart, you're up. Good morning. Breakfast is ready in the Kitchen. Rebekah is there right now. Take your time, we'll install everything while you eat." Klaus told her before he kissed her forehead Good Morning and rushed to help his brothers carry everything upstairs.

She smiled at him, nodded and went to the kitchen to find a big pile of waffles ready and waiting for her.

"Smells good." Veronica said after she said good morning to her aunt and to her dog who was eating the fancy dog food they had gotten him yesterday.

"Yes, Niklaus made them for you. The first breakfast he ever made you, he wanted it to be good." Rebekah explained as she sipped on some blood.

"Well, mission accomplished." Veronica replied.

"You've changed him you know… When we got the call from Derek, the witch, we were in the middle of a family fight… One that usually ends with at least one of us with a dagger in his heart for a few decades and the others running away… Suddenly it's like everything has been erased… We're all very happy to have you with us Veronica, never doubt that." Rebekah told her niece before she shook herself and added:

"I'm going to shower and change. When you've done the same I'll take you on a tour of the town."

"Okay." Veronica nodded.

She was unable to speak, too touched by what her aunt had told her. It was real family love, real acceptance. She loved it.

.

Veronica was just getting out of her temporary bedroom freshly showered and dressed in the clothes her father had bought her the previous day.

"Well, don't you look beautiful sweetheart." Klaus said as he left her bedroom and closed the door behind him.

"Thank you. Do you need help with everything?" She asked him.

"No, you go and enjoy your morning with your aunt, let her introduce you to some people and see the town. Your uncles and I will work on everything here and surprise you with it later." Klaus told her.

"Are you sure?" She asked, not wanted to leave them alone with all the hard work.

"Yes. Trust me, we'll be done quickly. When you come back later, we'll take care of changing your name, transferring you in school and giving you access to everything that is rightfully yours." He said before he kissed her forehead.

"Dad I… Thank you." She said softly.

"Now go and have fun. Try not to make too many enemies on your first day in town." He smiled.

"Well, according to what you told me, making enemies is a family trait. But don't worry, I'll smooth things over with my head tilt power." She chuckled.

"I can't wait to see it in action." He replied as Rebekah came out of her own room, ready to take Veronica in town.

"Now Bekah, you better take care of my daughter. Don't let anything happen to her." Klaus whispered at his sister while Veronica was walking to the car.

The original sister nodded and followed her niece out the door.

"I feel bad for letting them do all the hard work…" Veronica told Rebekah as they walked with Back-up in a leash.

"Don't, I'm sure they're enjoying it. They'll bond over it. If they didn't want to do it they would have gotten one of Nik's hybrids to do it or even hired someone. They're doing it because they want to." She replied.

"Okay… So, what's the first step?" The youngest blond asked her aunt.

"We take a walk around town and meet some people… It's probably too early for Damon Salvatore to be in town but we might see his brother the handsome Stefan, or maybe even Caroline Forbes, your father's crush." Rebekah smiled and she started showing her buildings, pointing out people and telling her who they were, what they did, if they were a founding family or not, everything she would need to know in order to survive in this town.

"Rebekah? Stefan said your family had left town." A middle aged woman elegantly dressed said as she approached the original sister.

"Mayor Lockwood. We did but it was temporary. This is Veronica. It's a long story but she is my niece and is going to live with us now." She introduced.

"Nice to meet you. This is Back-up. Don't worry, he's very nice." Veronica said, even though the woman reminded her strongly of Celeste Kane.

She felt necessary to reassure her about Back-up's behaviour, knowing how people could easily get scared of the over protective Pitt-Bull. Since the well dressed woman didn't react, Veronica guessed that something was going on. She seemed preoccupied and actually happy to know that the Mickealson's were back in town. Being the super detrective that she was, it didn't take Veronica long to guess that the woman loved her alcohol. Maybe she wasn't a drunk, but it looked like it wasn't too far off.

"You too… Wait, how can she…" She started to ask Rebekah before she stopped.

"Niklaus is her father, biologically… Apparently being the hybrid changes a few details, even before he broke his curse. We just found out about her and now she's here with us."

"And happy to be. Since my mother didn't want to take care of me, I'm better off here with a family that actually wants me with them." Veronica added, knowing that according to what she had been told, everything they told the mayor would be repeated to the Salvatore's and the others.

"Good… I… I wanted to speak with Klaus… About Tyler…" Carole started.

In the back of her mind, the woman wondered if Tyler would, too, be able to have children if he was to be with someone other than Caroline but she didn't have time to worry about that now.

"What is it about? The sire bond is broken, what else could he want?" Rebekah asked the woman who looked truly worried.

"There's a hunter in town… he came to my house a few days ago, pretending to be interested in Pastor's Young's explosion and shot Tyler… Stefan said that there was something weird with the bullets because they burned at the touched and there was strange markings on them. Tyler only survived because he was a hybrid… This hunter attacked April Young at Pastor Young's memorial and shot Tyler in front of everyone to try and smoke the other vampires out. Apparently he has a tattoo that only Jeremy Gilbert can see… We need your family's help on this, we're flying blind here and the entire town is at risk…" Carole explained quickly.

Curious, Rebekah asked for more details and paled after she got them.

"Listen, tell them NOT to kill this hunter. When you kill one of them you have a curse stuck to you and it's hell. Ask Klaus, he's been under it for over 62 years. Tell them all to come by our house tonight, we'll tell them more about what we know and we'll try to figure out what this is about and how to deal with this. It's very serious Mayor Lockwood." Rebekah said in a very serious tone.

"What is it aunt Rebekah?" Veronica finally asked after Carole nodded, promising that she would relay the message and that Liz Forbes would also be there.

"I'm not sure… I think we all have pieces of information about this… Look, forget about it for now. We'll keep with our tour of the town until it's time for lunch. We'll grab something at the Grill and head back home. You and Klaus will do what you planed and then we'll concentrate on this hunter, okay?" She asked her.

"Fine. But I'll be there tonight." Veronica insisted.

"Of course you will. Even if Klaus wants you protected, he knows that information is power." Rebekah explained before they went back to walking around, visiting the town that was ow Veronica's home.

* * *

**So, what do you think?**

**Sorry for the delay, I got distracted by a sad family event... I hope you liked this chapter.**

**Just know that I love nothing more than to read your reviews. I answer them when i can and always if they're long.**

**Lorelei Candice Black**


	8. Chapter 8

**_Part 8_**

* * *

When they got home in the beginning of the afternoon, Klaus asked Veronica not to go to her new bedroom yet because the paint wasn't dry and she agreed. She unleashed Back-up, letting him run happily in the house to play with Kol while she went with her father to make her officially a Mickealson and sign her in High school.

Things were done quicker than she thought it would. Her father handled all the official paperwork and the bank in the span of 3 hours and then they went to the school were things were done even quicker with the help of well placed compulsion. She was now enrolled as a senior in Mystic Fall's high, scheduled to graduate in a couple of months.

"Do you think I'll be able to compel people too?" Veronica asked him as they drove back home in the middle of the afternoon.

"Probably. I don't see why not." He replied.

"Do you think I'll be fine? In this school I mean… Do you think I'll fit in?"She asked him nervously.

"Veronica, Sweetheart, I know you'll fit in. But keep in mind that Rebekah doesn't matter in this. If you decide that you don't want to go to high school any more, then you'll be home schooled. I only care about your well being Veronica. It's all your choice." He replied, stopping the car on the side of the road so he'd be able to watch her as he spoke.

"I have to at least try. I mean, who else is going to convince this Caroline Forbes girl that you're the one for her?" Veronica asked him with a smile, which he returned.

"I'm happy I found you Honey." Klaus said before he started the car again and drove them back home.

.

When they got home, Veronica was finally allowed in her new bedroom and was amazed at how well it fitted her. It was simply perfect and she was at a loss of words. There was even a little space for Back-up, who was apparently allowed upstairs.

She saw 3 doors beside the one she had just used. There was the door to her own personal bathroom of course, the door to her dressing room, which was bigger than the one Lilly used to have and finally a third door.

Wondering what it was, she opened it to see that it linked her bedroom with the dark room her father had made for her. Everything wasn't in place already because most of it had been ordered the previous day, but it was already set up and she could have sworn that this door hadn't existed when she first saw the bedroom.

"You don't mind the new door? I thought it would make things easier for you." Klaus said as he stood in the doorway of her bedroom.

"Not at all. It's great. Thank you." She smiled as she turned back to him.

"So, anything missing in your bedroom?" He asked her.

"Not that I can see. I love it. It's perfect. Thanks again." She replied and, acting on impulse even though it was new to her, she went to hug him.

It was awkward at first, Klaus didn't seem to have been expecting it but he hugged her back and even kissed her hair.

"I'm glad you like it. I want you to be happy here." He said as he kept on hugging her.

"I already am." Veronica said with a smile before Klaus let her go.

"Okay, you sort your things here and call us if you need help or anything. I'll prepare tonight's meeting with Elijah. We need to decide what to tell them and what not to tell them." He smiled at her before leaving her bedroom.

.

A few hours later, Veronica went downstairs to see that her father, her aunt and her uncles were tensed and looked very serious. There were some drinks and snacks on the table and enough chairs for everybody.

When the doorbell rang, Elijah went to open it and Klaus placed himself in front of his daughter, wanting to protect her from possible enemies. One by one, the guest entered the living room, each of them sending Veronica a curious look.

"Now that everyone is here, why don't we make introductions. This is my niece, Klaus' daughter Veronica. I want it clear in all of your heads that whoever hurts her will end up going through a slow, painful death. Veronica, this is Jeremy and his sister Elena Gilbert." Elijah started.

"The doppelganger, right?" Veronica asked and Rebekah nodded with a frown.

"Yes, this is Carole Lockwood, I believe you met her this morning with Rebekah. This is her son Tyler." Elijah added.

"The first one of dad's hybrids." Veronica nodded, showing she had learned her lessons.

"This is Matt Donovan." Elijah added.

"Rebekah's crush." Kol chuckled.

"Shut it!" The original sister snapped at her brother while Veronica smiled, amused.

"Anyway, this are Stefan and Damon Salvatore. Next to them you have Liz Forbes, the sheriff of this town." Elijah declared.

"You'll find that she's much smarter and much more effective that the one you left in Neptune." Klaus informed his daughter, whom he kept close to him.

"That's not hard to do." Rebekah added.

"It's nice to meet you." Veronica nodded at the sheriff who noted the name of the town in her head to try and find out more about this girl they claimed was one of them.

"Now this is Bonnie Bennett." Elijah continued with his introductions.

"The witch." Veronica nodded.

"Yes, and finally Caroline Forbes." Elijah ended.

"Keeping the best for last." Klaus said with a flirty smile.

"I've heard a lot of good things about you Caroline. It's nice to meet all of you." Veronica said softly.

"I'm sorry but how is she your daughter? How is it even possible?" Damon asked.

"I'm the hybrid, apparently it creates lots of loopholes." Klaus replied.

"And why didn't we know earlier?" Elena asked.

"Maybe because I only found out recently myself. Now, why don't we concentrate on handling the situation at hand?" Klaus said, getting the attention away from his daughter and back to the main problem.

While the Liz and Stefan explained what had happened lately and how the Hunter was becoming a real problem, Veronica felt eyes on her and when she turned her head to see who was staring at her, she saw Damon Salvatore looking quite intrigued.

"He's got the hots for you." Lilly's voice said, making Veronica jump and bringing her hand to her heart.

"Gee Lilly! Can't you knock or something before you appear out of nowhere?" Veronica exclaimed while Klaus glared suddenly at Damon, having heard Lilly's declaration.

Rebekah, Elijah and Kol smirked. They had heard Lilly as well and were wondering how it would end. Would Klaus kill the elder Salvatore before he could get close to his daughter as he had done so many times for Rebekah's lovers or will she convince him to let it go?

"Your grandmother says Hi!" Lilly added to Veronica who smiled and nodded.

"You can see her?" Jeremy asked.

"What? How do you even know that she's here?" Veronica asked him.

"Jeremy Gilbert has the ability to see ghosts. It happened after he was brought back to life by Miss Bennett." Elijah informed Veronica who nodded.

"Good. He's cute." Lilly said.

"Who isn't in your eyes? Admit it Lilly, you have a boy problem." Veronica rolled her eyes.

"I see no problem in that." Lilly replied smugly.

"How… Can you see ghosts as well?" Jeremy asked Veronica while Elijah explained the situation to the others.

"No, only Lilly. She's my best friend. She was murdered earlier in the year and I could see her ever since… Dad, Uncle Elijah, Uncle Kol and aunt Rebekah can see her too because I gave them some of my blood." Veronica explained.

"So, which one is single here?" Lilly asked Jeremy.

"Damon and Matt." The human Gilbert replied, making Lilly smile.

"What about me?" Damon and Matt asked in the same voice.

"The blond one's the best looking." Lilly declared.

"I don't know… I think I disagree." Veronica replied with a soft blush on her face.

"Lilly, her dead best friend asked who was single. I answered. Lilly think Matt is the hottest and Veronica doesn't agree with her." Jeremy replied with a smirk on his face.

"Why don't we go back to the subject at hand here? We need to find a way to deal with this hunter before he tries to hurt someone else, especially if he tries to hurt my daughter. I won't have that." Klaus declared in a strong voice as he kept his eyes on Damon, whose eyes were still on Veronica.

"I'll look for him and spy on him a bit." Lilly said before she was gone.

"Lilly went to spy on him." Jeremy explained to the ones who couldn't see her.

"So, the hunter… What do you know about him and why is Jeremy the only one to see his tattoo?" Elena asked in a demanding tone that Veronica definitely didn't like.

"The hunter is one of several we met a while back. They're called the order of the five and if your brother can see his mark, then it means that he's a potential. If he kills a vampire, he'll activate his mark and become one of the five." Klaus declared.

Elena seemed to look hopeful for a while so Elijah decided to give her a small reality check.

"It's not a good thing. Once the mark is activated and he becomes a hunter, his conscience will disappear. The only thing that will matter to him will be to kill a vampire, no matter how close he is to him or her and without caring about the consequences of his actions or who gets killed in the process." Elijah added.

"So he can't activate it then…" Elena realized.

"It would be better if he didn't, yes." Elijah replied.

"But why is he here? Why do they exist?" Stefan asked.

"They exist to kill supernatural creatures, mainly vampires. In doing so they complete their mark, which guides them to the prison of Silas, a very powerful and evil witch turned into a vampire and held prisoner somewhere in punishment for betraying a woman. Their role is to find this prison and kill Silas but they can't kill him without waking him up first. It's best for everyone if he stays where he is, you can trust me on that." Kol explained.

"But this hunter needs to go. You told Carole we couldn't kill him. Why?" Damon asked.

"Because when you do, you fall prey to a terrible curse. You end up haunted by the hunter, who appears to you in very surprising shapes and convinces you to kill yourself." Klaus replied.

"How do you know?" Damon asked him.

"Because I was under this curse for over 62 years after I killed the previous order of the five. It's the only moment when I actually felt time and wished I could die. Trust me, you don't want to be under this curse, especially since we don't know how to end it." Klaus replied and everyone was silently looking at him while Veronica squeezed his hand softly in silent support.

"So what do we do then?" Tyler asked.

"We need to find evidence of his involvement with the council's death so that I can arrest him." Liz declared.

"Or we can try to find a human way to kill him." Veronica suggested.

Everyone was looking at her now.

"What do you mean Sweetheart?" Klaus asked her.

"Well, this curse thing has to be a defense mechanism against vampires and other supernatural. It probably won't touch a human… or we can inject him with some sort of deadly virus or make him have a car accident, have the alterations done by a human to be safe…" Veronica explained and Damon was more intrigued by her every time she opened her mouth to speak.

"Well, I think it's not a bad idea… It might work…" Elijah said and Klaus added:

"I don't want you involved in this Veronica. You're still supernatural, even if it's not effective until your 18th birthday. I won't risk you getting this curse cast on you." Klaus ordered and his daughter nodded, glad to know he cared.

* * *

**So, what did you think?**

**Don't forget to review please!**

**Keep on reading me!**

**Lorelei Candice Black**


	9. Chapter 9

**_Part 9_**

* * *

As soon as their guests had left the mansion, Kol asked his siblings and his niece to stay in the room, telling them that he knew more about Silas, that there was something else to it that he hadn't told anyone.

"What is it Uncle Kol?" Veronica asked him as her dog came to let her pet him.

"Silas… There's more to it. Something that you should know…" He started.

"Why didn't you say it when the others were here?" Elijah asked him.

"Because I don't think it's something we should let them know. So, as you know, I've been running with lots of witches over the centuries. Silas is buried with a cure for vampirism but there's only one dose of it. The Order of the five kills to complete their mark. Once completed, the mark will lead them to Silas's prison. Their role os to wake him up, take the cure and kill him, in that order because you can't take the cure without waking him up." Kol explained.

"How much of this cue is there?" Rebekah asked in a different tone of voice.

"Only enough for one dose, and it's made so he'd die immediately, not so he'd live his life his life out as a human." Kol replied.

"So what should we do then?" Veronica asked.

"I think we get the hunter out of our lives and ignore the rest. If awaken, Silas's only goal will be to bring down the curtain to the other side, bringing back every supernatural who has died since its creation. That includes the good as well as the bad." Kol said.

"It would be hell on earth…" Veronica realized.

"Yes, and Mickeal would be back too. I agree with Kol. Let's get rid of this hunter, make sure nobody else in this town is trying to wake up Silas and forget about I all." Klaus nodded and they all agreed.

It had taken them over a hundred years to be rid of Mickeal, there was no way they were bringing him back to life now. Who knew what he would do to Veronica? Esther might be at peace with them but Mickeal wouldn't be. He'd try to kill Veronica just to hurt Klaus and the powerful hybrid knew that this would destroy him. He couldn't lose his daughter.

.

Bonnie Bennett hadn't talked much to her friends lately, mainly because her life was changing. It had all started when she was called by her grandmother's successor at the university to come and collect a few of her things. Then the man, Professor Shane, taught her a new form of magic, a more powerful one.

The previous night, Elena and Caroline called her to say that they were meeting with the Mickealson to talk about the hunter but Bonnie refused to go. She was too busy practicing her new powers to worry about the Originals. She didn't even answer her cell phone when Caroline called her later. Elena sent her a text message, saying that Klaus had a daughter but she couldn't bring herself to care. All she managed to care about was to get more powers and to please Shane, to make him proud of her.

.

Shane was pretty happy about the way things were going for him right now. He had Bonnie Bennett, Qetsiyah's descendent, completely under his control. Her only goal now was to make him proud and happy and he knew that he would be able to get her to free Silas once he had everything he wanted.

.

The Mickealson family was enjoying a family breakfast before Veronica's first day in this school when the doorbell rang. Curious, Elijah went to answer it and he came back with Jeremy Gilbert.

"Lilly bothering you?" Veronica asked him.

Lilly had come back last night and after telling them what she had spotted at the hunter's place, she decided to go and get to know the Gilbert Boy.

"What? Oh, no. Not at all. I'm here for another reason." Jeremy replied, looking nervous.

"Why are you here then? Shouldn't you be getting ready for school?" Elijah asked him.

"I… I'm worried about Bonnie and figured that you might be able to help me… She's been spending a lot of time with that professor… Shane. It's like he completely controls her and ever since he started teacher this new way of doing magic, she's been blowing all of her friends off. It's like he's the only one important in her life anymore and we're all worried… I was wondering if you knew anything about him…" Jeremy explained.

"Never heard the name. What's this new way of magic?" Elijah asked.

"Expressionism." Jeremy answered.

"What? That's one of the darkest ways of doing magic…" Kol exclaimed.

"Maybe we should spy on him then… I could…" Veronica started but her father interrupted her.

"Veronica no. If that man is doing Expressionism, he's dangerous. Who knows what he's capable of. I'm sorry but I want you safe, that means you can't get involved in this. Please. Tell me you understand." Klaus said, forcing her to look him in the eyes and she nodded, sad that her help had been rejected but happy to know that her father cared about her safety.

"I'll go and see what I can find out about him yesterday. Why don't you go to school Jeremy? Come back here with Bekah and Veronica this afternoon and we'll see what we can do." Kol suggested and everyone agreed that this was one of the best solutions.

.

Kol spent the best part of the morning spying on Professor Shane and searching his office while he was in class. When he found he stone he knew to be a key to freeing Silas, he destroyed it, making dust out of it and placing this dust in the trash, where nobody would come to look for it.

He also found the man's personal notes about the young Bennett witch and it became obvious that his plane was to free Silas so he could bring down the veil to the other side. Knowing that he needed to be stopped at all cost, Kol decided to take actions and to kill the man before he could do more bad in their town. Making it look like it was a simple accident and like he had slipped on something in the stairs, Shane was quickly disposed off and when Kol returned home that afternoon, he informed them of what he had done.

"So Bonnie should be back to her old elf then?" Jeremy asked.

"Maybe, but we don't know how deep his hold on her was. Mind control is a tricky thing. It might take some time before she goes back to being the girl you love." Elijah warned Jeremy.

"What can I do then?" He asked.

"Be there for her." Kol replied.

Then the young Gilbert thanked them and left the house to inform his sister of what he had learned.

.

Veronica's first day of school had gone pretty well. Bonnie Bennett had been there but hadn't paid attention to her, or anyone else for that matter. Elena Gilbert obviously didn't like her much because she spent the entire time glaring at her, saying that since she was Klaus' daughter, she couldn't be trusted and was bound to be evil. Stefan Salvatore simply ignored her mostly. Luckily, Jeremy and Matt had been nice and welcoming with her. Caroline and Tyler hadn't been rude to her like Elena was but they hadn't gone out of their way to speak with her either.

"I think Caroline wanted to come and talk to me but Tyler stopped her. Probably because he feels threatened by me." Veronica explained.

"Why would he feel threatened by you?" Klaus asked his daughter.

He was with her in the garden, painting her under the sun while she told him her day.

"Because I'm your daughter and he knows that you want her. He doesn't look super smart but he's probably smart enough to know that I'll try to bring her closer to you. That's a good thing though."

"Why is that?" He asked with a smile.

He loved this father-daughter time they were having.

"If he feels threaten enough to try and stop her from coming to me, it means that their relationship isn't that strong. Besides, I don't think Caroline is the kind of girl who lets her boyfriend control her without saying anything. She's going to try and fight back. I don't think they'll last much longer and I'm sure that their future break up will be her decision." Veronica explained.

"Well, aren't I lucky to have you as a daughter?" He exclaimed with a smile her way.

"The luckiest." Veronica replied, smiling as well.

"What else happened at school then? How were you classes?" He asked her.

"A few of the teachers were doubtful as to whether my place was truly in their class or not and they tested me. I showed them wrong pretty quickly."

"They must be delighted." He joked.

"Well, I don' care if they don't like me. I'll be out of there soon enough anyway." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Did Rebekah play her role well by your side?" Klaus asked his daughter.

"Don't worry she looked well after me and would have made you proud." Veronica chuckled.

"How come?" Klaus asked his daughter.

"Damon Salvatore came over the school during lunch break, pretending he had something important to tell his brother and he started flirting with me. He barely had two words out when Aunt Rebekah kicked him in the balls, telling him not to even think about it, that I was much better than his usual sorority trash and to go back to being head over heels with his brother's girl before she turned his fangs into new earrings for me." Veronica explained with an amused smile at the memory of Damon's paling face.

"Good." The father smiled.

"Don't you think it was a bit harsh? He was just flirting. I've dealt with flirty guys before." she asked him.

"I know Damon Salvatore. The only way he'd treat a lady right is if he's in love with her, otherwise you're just another notch on his belt. I don't want that for my daughter. And since he's still in love with Elena Gilbert..." Klaus explained.

"Okay… Don't worry, I'll be careful…" She nodded.

"Veronica sweetheart… I want you to… Please be honest with me.. When it happens I mean… When you meet a boy you like, I don't want you to hide him from me. In exchange, I promise to be reasonable enough about the way I handle it." Klaus asked her as he temporarily stopped painting to look at her.

"I… Of course dad. Reasonable enough though? Is that your way of saying that you won't kill him at first sight?" She asked him with a small smile, to loosen the tension a bit.

"Anything for my favorite and only daughter." Klaus chuckled before he hugged her, kissed her head and went back to painting her before he lost the sun and the beautiful effect it had on her hair.

* * *

**I hope you liked this chapter.**

**Thank you for reading and reviewing this story so far. Keep the reviews going, I love them.**

**Lorelei Candice Black**


	10. Chapter 10

**_Part 10_**

* * *

Veronica was pretty happy. It was like her time in Neptune had been a bad dream that she was slowly forgetting, or would be able to forget completely if she hadn't stayed in touch with Weevil who kept her entertained with the latest happenings of the town she had gladly left behind.

Keeping the supernatural side of everything out of it, she kept him informed of her life and he amused her with the latest idiocy the Neptune Sheriff's department had come up with.

Apparently, Don Lamb had been found dead, his pants down to his ankles and slutty red lipstick around his dick the day after she left town. Veronica had no doubts that it had been the work of her aunt to avenge her about the '_rape thing_' so she hadn't mentioned it to anyone, hoping that the lipstick had been drawn on to humiliate him and not left after... Well, she hoped her aunt had better taste than that.

Weevil also told her that Don Lamb had been replaced by his older brother, Dan Lamb. Obviously their mother hadn't been one for imagination or originality in names for her boys. Veronica wondered briefly if someone name Den lamb or Din Lamb appear to take over if Dan died as well. Just how many brothers did Don Lamb have?

She shook her thoughts out of her head and concentrated on her present life in Mystic Fall's. What happened in Neptune didn't concern her anymore. She had a new life now and it was a much happier one. The only reason she'd have to get involved in Neptune once more would be if something bad happened to her last friend there: Weevil.

Back-up was in the yard, playing ball with Kol before night fell completely. Her Aunt was out with Matt Donovan, trying to have some kind of normal human date with him, Elijah was writing in his journal and her father was putting the final touches on her portrait in his study before he hung it somewhere embarrassingly visible to everyone.

Veronica was exploring her new house, thinking of her father and the way she felt connected to him, the way she could trust him completely when she had had a hard time trusting even Keith Mars, the man who had raised her so far. Maybe blood was thicker than anything after all. According to her aunt, her father was different now that she was in his life. More human, easier to live with. She felt important, like she mattered and she loved it.

"Veronica, what are you doing Sweetheart?" Her father said from behind her.

"I was exploring… sorry." She apologized.

She was now in the basement, in front of several doors, some with bars, some wooden, others looking made of a very strong steel. She had been wondering around the house, especially in rooms she hadn't been in yet and was afraid she had angered her father.

"Don't be sorry Love, it's your house too, you can do as you please. I just got worried when I didn't hear you anymore. The basement is soundproof so I couldn't hear your heart." He explained.

"Can I ask what the cells are for?" She asked him.

"Of course. As you know, I've lived for over a thousand years and made some enemies along the way. I've learned that being prepared for anything is always good. I always make sure to have cells ready to lock up those who go against me." He replied.

"Don't you just kill them or compel them?" She asked innocently as he showed her how to open the doors and showed her what was inside.

"Sometimes, it's better to keep people alive. Sometimes, killing the enemy has terrible circumstances." He said, thinking of the hunter's curse.

"Right, like the Hunter and his stupid curse..." She nodded.

"Have you ever locked someone in here since moving in?" she asked him.

"No, not yet. I'm tempted to lock Damon Salvatore in though."

"Why? What has he done?" She asked, surprised.

Her instinct told her that Damon Salvatore wasn't one of the "good guys" a father would want for his daughter, but she couldn't help but find him attractive and interesting. With the detective work she had done, she had managed to get to know people pretty quickly and she could feel that Damon Salvatore had secrets that explained his behavior toward people.

"Because of the way he looks at you. I can't help it. I don't want you to get hurt and he's known to be quite the lady killer. I don't want him to hurt you." Klaus explained.

"Don't worry, he won't. I won't let him. After everything I've been through, anyone who wants to have a chance with me will have to be completely honest, to earn my trust. If it makes you feel better, I can promise you that I won't date anyone you don't approve of." She suggested.

"Even if I end up approving of no-one?" He smiled as they headed back upstairs.

"Well, I'll be praying that you'll show yourself to be reasonable. If not, there's always the power of the head tilt." She smiled back and he hugged her to his side.

.

On Veronica's second day at school, she managed to 'accidentally' bump into Caroline Forbes while Tyler was away. The vampire looked upset and it was easy for Veronica to make her talk. Apparently, she had been right about Tyler and Caroline was getting tired of it all.

"Why don't you take a small break, have a girls night or something?" Veronica suggested.

"Bonnie is avoiding us all for some reason and Elena is too busy trying to decide between keeping Stefan or going for Damon to care about me or my problems." Caroline explained.

"Well, I know that we just met but I haven't had a decent girl's night since before Lilly died. Maybe we could get to know each other tonight. What do you say? Want to have a sleep over at my place?" Veronica suggested.

"That's nice of you, especially with the way Elena is treating you." Caroline smiled.

"I'm used to people not liking me. I'm not fazed by it anymore. You don't mind if my aunt Rebekah joins us do you?"

"Of course not. I don't think I've been very fair with her so far." Caroline replied honestly.

"Great then. Why don't you come around 6? It'll give me enough time to organize everything at home and try to get my uncle Kol out of the way. I know he's over a thousand years old but he behaves like a real teenager sometimes. I mean, I'm only 16 and I'm more mature than he is." Veronica joked.

"You… Are you happy with you father?" Caroline asked as they walked toward the cafeteria.

"Yes, he's great with me. I don't know how he was before me or how he usually is with everybody else but he's great with me. I always had problem with trusting people but I had no problem trusting him." Veronica confessed.

"Has he… Has he told you anything about me?" Caroline asked her new friend shyly.

"You mean other than his huge crush on you?" Veronica smiled.

"He told you?" She asked.

"Oh yes he did. I've seen hi drawings of you as well. I know that you're taken and I don't know if you want to hear this but… What he feels for you, he hasn't felt for anyone before. I've gotten pretty good at telling when people are lying to me and I can tell you that he wasn't lying when he said that he loved you. This stays between us but he told me that he felt so strongly for you that he'd be ready to wait as long as necessary for you to be ready for him." Veronica explained in a whispered voice.

"It's hard to believe… he's done so much evil…" Caroline sighted.

"Everyone does evil things, most of them have their reasons for it and I can assure you that he has his. Maybe you should try by becoming his friend, getting to know him." She suggested.

"Maybe you're right. Do you want to eat lunch with me or do you have plans already?"

"I'd love to have lunch with you. I think Aunt Rebekah wanted to spend more time with Matt anyway. He makes her feel human." Veronica nodded and the two girls settled at the same table with their lunch as they kept on talking and getting to know each other.

They were joined after a while by Rebekah and Matt. The 4 of them were laughing at a joke Caroline did when Jeremy Gilbert approached them:

"Is this a blond only table or can I join you?" He joked.

"Very funny Gilbert." Caroline rolled her eyes.

"You can seat." Veronica nodded after her aunt nodded her approval of the guy. He wasn't one of the people she needed to worry about.

They had lots of fun and Veronica texted her father to inform him of her plans for the evening. She actually liked Caroline Forbes and could picture her happy with her father.

* * *

**So, this is another chapter. What did you think?**

**If you have any idea or suggestions as to what could happen next, ideas are welcome. I've got something for two chapters, a vague idea for another one but that's it.**

**Don't forget to leave me a review please!**

**Lorelei Candice Black**

.


	11. Chapter 11

**_Part 11_**

* * *

After school that day, Veronica rushed home so she could get things ready for her sleep over/ girls' night when she was greeted by her father's open arms and a tight hug.

"Have I ever told you that I love you and that you are the best daughter ever? You deserve the world Veronica." Klaus whispered in her ear, making her chuckle.

"It's good to know you appreciate me. Now, word of advice, don't try too hard tonight, just act like you've acted since we met and everything will go perfectly. I've tried to talk her into becoming your _friends_ to begin with and she needs to see you the way you are with me, the real you." Veronica advised him.

"So no evil hybrid act tonight then?" he chuckled as he led her to the kitchen where he had prepared a snack for her.

"I haven't seen the evil hybrid act yet and I'm beginning to doubt it's even here. You're just like me." She smiled as he sat in front of her, none of them seeing Elijah smiling from the doorway.

"What what's that?" Klaus asked her with a happy smile.

Nothing pleased him more than these normal moments with his daughter.

"You and I, we're good at the tough act but beneath the angry shell, we're marshmallows." Veronica explained.

"Don't let the word spread, I'd lose all credibility." He joked and she smiled.

"By the way, am I right to assume that the 20 years old shaved head, green eyed man that's been following me for the past two days is your hybrid?" She asked him.

"Is it bothering you? I just want to make sure you're safe…" he replied, no denying anything.

"No, if it helps you feel better then it's fine. At least I know I don't have a weird stalker. You definitely should get your hybrids to take some spying lessons though because they're bad at it. Being spotted by a 16 years old girl… They're lucky they're not following someone more dangerous." Veronica explained.

"I'll think about it. So, besides becoming friend with Caroline, what did you do today at school?" Klaus asked her and Elijah, still smiling, left the room, happy to see his brother so human.

"I argued with Aunt Rebekah. Don't worry, it's nothing bad, we're still on speaking terms."

"What was it about?" Klaus asked, curious and hoping he didn't have to dagger his sister.

"She's convinced that Jeremy Gilbert is interested in me and that the only reason he sat with us at lunch was to flirt with me. I didn't agree. Don't worry, we don't have the same opinion but we're not mad at each other or anything." She reassured him.

"So you're telling me that so far my daughter's only choices at dating in Mystic Fall's are Damon Salvatore who's over 170 years old and Jeremy Gilbert, 17 years old potential hunter with a doppelganger sister… great."

"Don't worry, Jeremy isn't interested in me, he's just trying to distract himself from his worries for Bonnie Bennett. As for Damon, I've heard that he's in love with Elena so… No problems there either." Veronica smiled before she finished her cup of tea and stood up.

"I'm going upstairs to do my homework before Caroline arrives." She said as she left the kitchen, leaving her father alone until Elijah joined him.

"You want me to have someone keep an eye on the Gilbert boy?" Elijah asked his brother.

"I already have one watching over Damon… Do you think I'm going too far?" Klaus asked his elder brother.

"I don't think so. In this town, little is always more. And it's to protect veronica, heartache could hurt her more than any knife." Elijah replied wisely.

"Good… and maybe she had a point about the spying lessons… We should try to find someone who can teach them… other than her." Klaus added and Elijah nodded before he took his cell phone out.

.

After school, Jeremy had gone to speak with Bonnie, wanting to know what was going on with her and why she was ignoring everyone but it quickly became obvious that she didn't have her powers under control. Worried about the girl he loved, Jeremy talked to her father and he agreed with him, calling her mother back in town almost immediately. Abby came and after knocking her daughter out with some herbs, she took her away to a coven of witches she knew that would be able to help her get better and stop using dark magic.

It sounded a lot like rehab to Jeremy and he figured that if expressionism was like a drug, it made sense that she needed to be isolated and helped by people who knew what they were doing.

.

Kol had been pretty busy since the meeting with the Salvatore. With Lilly's ghostly help and her capacity to communicate with his mother, he took care of Shane and of the hunter at the same time. He had kept Liz Forbes in the loop and managed to get Shane arrested for blowing up the 12 council members. If he hadn't done it directly, he had pushed the Pastor to do it and he was going to be in jail for the rest of his life for this.

As for the hunter, Lilly had helped Kol and with the help of a compelled human that deserved to go to jail anyway, they managed to get him killed.

Not only had it kept him busy but he had taken care of everyone's problem and gotten an offer from Liz Forbes: he was now a deputy for her a few hours a week. He'd have to stick to the law but it would keep him busy and he actually liked it. PLus he understood how, in a town filled with supernatural beings, having an original vampire as a deputy could be a good idea.

When he got home that night, pretty late, he found Klaus watching over Veronica, Rebekah and Caroline asleep in front of a turned off TV and Klaus was placing blankets over them.

The Mickealson's had been domesticated by a 16 years old girl. Kol wondered if the next step would be for Elijah to find a job as teacher at the local school or something.

* * *

**So, what did you think of Kol's job? Of his idea for Elijah? **

**Thank you for the reviews so far, keep them going.**

**I was thinking of getting Veronica involved with the Augustine's at Whitemore college... What do you think?**

**Lorelei Candice Black**


	12. Chapter 12

**_Part 12_**

* * *

Veronica's first girl's night without Lilly went well. Caroline and Rebekah got along pretty well, they watched movies, ate what her father had cooked for them and did each other's nails and hair. Caroline had been surprised when Klaus didn't go out of his way to spend time with them and as she watched him interact with Veronica, she was seeing a new, improved Klaus.

The girls had fallen asleep in front of the TV and Caroline woke up slightly to see Klaus turning the TV off and placing blankets over them before hushing Kol away.

Klaus cared. He had a heart and he cared. It was going to be harder for Caroline to stay away from him and to stop her heart from falling for him.

To change her mind from her present troubles with Klaus and Tyler, Caroline decided to push Veronica to compete in this year's Miss Mystic Fall's competition and with Rebekah's help she managed to convince her to at least try.

Veronica had her doubt. She wasn't cut out for beauty pageants but Lilly insisted and managed to guilt her into entering the contest.

"I still need an escort. Who am I going to dance with?" Veronica asked.

"Tell you what, if you don't find someone before then, I'll be your escort." Jeremy promised her that day at lunch.

While Rebekah went shopping with Veronica for the perfect dress, Caroline had other problems to deal with. A werewolf named Hayley had arrived in town and intruded herself in Tyler's life. They had apparently met while Tyler worked on breaking his sire bond and Caroline didn't like her one bit. Hayley appeared to be too confident and a bit arrogant, certain she knew what was best.

Of course Tyler assured his girlfriend that Hayley was just a friend but then why was she staying with him and not somewhere else? Why was she always around? Why couldn't they get a moment alone together since she arrived and why did she insist on speaking with the hybrids that were still in town, asking Tyler to find a way to get more of them back?

"I swear we're constantly fighting over this. I just don't trust her and he thinks I'm being silly and jealous." Caroline told Veronica while they looked for the best way to dress her hair for the pageant.

"Are you?" Veronica asked her, knowing her father wasn't far and could hear it all.

"No, I just have a bad feeling about this girl. She has a secret agenda, I know she does." Caroline insisted.

"Maybe dad could try to get the truth from her or something… I find it odd too that she keeps asking Tyler to call more hybrids in town. There were 3 of them before she arrived and now there are 8… What is her goal?" Veronica wondered.

"You've met her too right?" Caroline asked her.

"Yes, two days ago at the Grill. She was rude and arrogant. I definitely didn't like her. I fought myself not to taser her." Veronica replied.

"Well, then this is proof that I'm not being silly. Tyler is just… I don't know… like… under her control or something." Caroline scrolled.

"Do you still love him?" Veronica asked her new friend in a quiet voice.

"I… I don't know… It feels like too much work to just tolerate him right now. I keep telling myself that I need to be patient, that when he realizes that I'm right about Hayley things will be right again but should it be so hard?"

"I don't know… you're asking the wrong person about love advises. I'm not exactly partial either." Veronica replied honestly.

"What do you mean you're not partial?"

"I mean I'm rooting for you to choose my father eventually but it doesn't mean that I don't care about your feelings. I think you might need to listen to your heart here, as cheesy as it sounds." Veronica told her honestly.

"You really think I'd be happy with Klaus?" Caroline asked her.

"Of course."

"He's your father…"

"You'd be like my step mother or something." Veronica giggled.

"Yeah, that might be a bit weird… You think I should break thing of with Tyler and give Klaus a chance don't you?" Caroline asked her.

"I do. But I also think that you need to take some time to yourself after Tyler and before my dad. You can't just jump from one to the other, you need to be completely sure about your feelings."

"How can someone so young be so wise?" Caroline asked in wonder as she looked at her friend who blushed and looked down a minute.

"Tell her to go see Tyler now." Lilly said as she appeared.

"What? Caroline, Lilly just appeared and she wants you to go and see Tyler now." Veronica relayed the message.

"Tell her to be ready for heartbreak." Lilly added before she left again.

"She said you need to be ready for heartbreak… She's gone now." Veronica said and Caroline nodded before she rushed out of the bedroom and out of the house in vampire speed.

.

When she arrived at Tyler's house, Caroline was as silent as possible and heard Hayley talking to Tyler about convincing 12 hybrids to break their sire bond so they could attack Klaus. Tyler wasn't even trying to argue it and when she came closer, Caroline saw Hayley and Tyler naked on the couch of his father's office.

Rushing to the werewolf female and holding her by the throat against the wall, Caroline tried to compel her to tell her what her plans were while Tyler was trying to argue his defense. Of course Hayley was prepared and couldn't be compelled so Caroline took a page out of the Original's book and plunged her hand in the werewolf's chest. As her hand squeezed around her beating heart, Caroline finally got the confession she wanted:

"I need 12 hybrids to go after Klaus so he can kill them and finish the second sacrifice of the expressionism triangle. He's the only one that can get away with it. Shane said that I had to." Hayley explained, tears running down her cheeks.

"Shane is dead and you will be as well if you don't leave town in the next hour. If I see you again, I'll kill you. I'll even use my influence on Klaus to make sure there are always people looking for you. It's a life on the run for you bitch." Caroline said as she released the girl.

Then she turned toward Tyler and rushed to him, snapped his neck and left the room as Carole arrived.

"What is going on in here?" The mayor asked, eying Caroline's bloody hand.

"Ask your son's whore. I'm not his girlfriend anymore. We're over. I'm done trying to help this jerk." Caroline snapped before she left the house and went back to her house.

.

"Caroline broke up with Tyler and figured Hayley's plan. The bitch was going to trick you into sacrificing 12 of your hybrids to complete an expressionism triangle." Veronica informed her father as she came to seat by his side.

"Does she need anything?" Klaus asked, worry in his voice.

"I think she just needs some time alone for now but she did ask if you could make sure that Hayley had to run for a while." Veronica replied.

"Done." Klaus smiled before he took his cell phone out and started making calls to grant Caroline's wish.

* * *

**So, this is part 12... What did you think?**

**I hope you like and, please don't forget to review.**

**Lorelei Candice Black**


	13. Chapter 13

"So Veronica, the Miss Mystic Fall's pageant is tomorrow. We know that Caroline agreed to take Klaus as her date but who will be your escort?" Elijah asked his niece.

"Well, Jeremy was supposed to be it but Abby Bennett called him, saying it would help Bonnie get better if he came to visit her so he left this morning for the next few days. I was going to ask Matt but he already promised Pastor Young's daughter April he'd be her escort back when I was supposed to have Jeremy. Caroline said she'd have someone ready for me, that I didn't have to worry." Veronica replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"I saw her speaking with the Salvatore brothers about tomorrow an hour ago. My guess is that one of them is going to be your escort." Rebekah said.

"Isn't Stefan dating Elena? Why would he want to be my escort when his girlfriend hates me?" Veronica wandered.

"He broke up with his last night. Apparently, she has changed too much now that she's a vampire and he doesn't love this new her as much as he used to. She's tired of him trying to change her back to who she used to be, too." Kol informed them and for a while, Veronica pictured her family as a bunch of old lady gossiping about the town's latest gossip.

"Please, she's just in love with Damon and Stefan finally got tired of being with a girl that loved him and his brother without being able to make a definite choice." Rebekah rolled her eyes.

"Wait, do you think that Caroline will have Damon escort MY daughter to this pageant?" Klaus asked, a worried expression on his face.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll have my taser with me." Veronica told her father while tilting her head and he chuckled.

"What every father wants to hear. You're right, that head tilt of yours is magic. Fine, I won't complain about him being your escort if he's the one Caroline gets for you but I'll be watching and if he takes one step out of line, I'll rip his heart out." Klaus told his daughter who nodded.

.

The next morning, Klaus drove his daughter to the location of the pageant and gentlemanly carried her small vanity and the bag with her dress in it to the room she was supposed to change in. Caroline was already waiting for them there and smiled when she saw Veronica.

"Caroline, you look beautiful, as always." Klaus greeted the girl he loved.

"Klaus, Veronica. Damon agreed to be your escort. Don't worry, he'll be on his best behavior, he promised me he would." Caroline said.

"I'm sure he will, especially since Rebekah went to remind him the rules of being a gentleman and the consequences of breaking the rules." Klaus smiled.

"I knew you'd do something like that." Caroline smiled before she added "Why don't you go wait for us downstairs? I have to help Veronica get ready."

"Very well. Call if you need anything. If you change your mind Veronica, the other dress is in the car." Klaus informed his daughter before kissing her forehead and leaving the room.

"So, you decided on the royal blue one then?" Caroline asked a few minutes later as she helped her friend do her hair.

"Actually yes. The blue one looks great but I didn't feel it… Aunt Rebekah is sure I'll have another occasion to wear it soon enough though." Veronica replied.

"I'm sure you will. Wow, did Klaus give you those?" Caroline exclaimed as she opened the vanity and saw the jewelry Veronica was planning on wearing.

"Yes, he gave them to me, claiming that I couldn't possibly play princess at this pageant without having the proper accessories."

In front of them, there was a golden necklace with the Mickealson's crest engraved on it, golden earring, a gold bracelet with stones as red as her dress, a discreet golden and red stoned tiara that could pass for a head band and a longer, golden chain.

"What's the chain for? I mean it's pretty but I don't see what to do with it…" Caroline wondered.

"It's for the waist… I wasn't sure but I still took it, just in case." Veronica replied.

"It would sure be original and look good." Caroline nodded.

A few more minutes later, Veronica's hair was done.

"Do you girls need anything?" Damon's voice came from the other side of the door before he walked inside.

"Damon! What if she wasn't decent?" Caroline exclaimed, throwing the hair brush at the blue eyed vampire.

"Then I would have seen the most beautiful thing in the world and I would be able to die happy because Klaus surely would have killed me?" Damon replied, making it sound like a question, obviously not taking things seriously and making Veronica blush.

"What are you doing here?" Caroline asked him.

"Checking if you girls need anything." He replied.

"We're fine, you can leave until it's time to do your job." Caroline snapped at him.

"Fine, I just wanted to check how you two were doing. By the way, if you're using the red dress that's hanging there, you'll have all the luck in the world. Elena is having April wear a blue dress that's almost the copy of the one she lost in last year. It's good not to wear the same color as the other girls." Damon said before he left the room.

"Is he some sort of expert on beauty pageant too?" Veronica wondered.

"Knowing him, I wouldn't be surprised. Now come on, time to put the dress on."

"Didn't you say that you wore a red one last year?" Veronica asked her.

"Don't worry, yours is totally different than the one I was wearing. You'll be much prettier." Caroline assured her with a soft smile and a few more minutes later, veronica was wearing the dress she had chosen with her aunt, wearing the jewelry her father had gotten for her and wondering if it was wise to add heals to her outfit.

"What if I fall?" Veronica asked her.

"Damon will catch you. Don't worry. You'll be fine." Caroline reassured her.

Veronica put on the heals just before Lilly appeared, giving her an approving thumbs up before Caroline went downstairs with everyone else and Veronica went to place herself with the other girls.

.

When her name was called, Veronica tried to ignore everyone's stare and walked down the steps, glad to see that Damon hadn't bailed on her.

"You look beautiful." Damon whispered to her as they danced the ancient dance she had been taught by Caroline for the occasion.

"Thank you. Elena can't get her eyes off of you. You must be happy." She replied in a tone just as silent, wondering why she couldn't break eye contact with him.

"Why would I be happy?" He asked her.

"Because you're in love with her." Veronica replied, wondering if, for once, her information had been wrong.

"Oh, that's in the past. I have no interest in being with someone who can't chose between my brother and me. I'm over her and all doppelgangers." He replied, his eyes not leaving hers one second, making her forget all her previous trouble about tripping.

"Oh…" Veronica didn't know what else to say to him so she simply listened to the music, her eyes still in his, wondering why he made her feel the way he did.

In the past, only Duncan had made her feel this way, and it wasn't even close to what she was feeling now. She couldn't possibly be falling in love with this vampire, could she?

Eventually, the contestants stopped dancing and left their dates to go line up and wait for the results of the election. Even then, Veronica could feel Damon's eyes on her and she knew that his smile was for her. Sis didn't notice her father glancing back and forth between her and Damon, she didn't see his frown either. She didn't see Stefan standing next to his brother, asking him what was going on. All she could see what Damon.

"And Miss Mystic Fall's this year is… Veronica Mickealson!" Caroline exclaimed happily before she rushed to crown Veronica.

"Congratulations Sweetheart, you were the prettiest by far." Klaus told his daughter proudly while Elijah snapped pictures of them.

"And you're not saying this just because you made me?" She smirked.

"I only made you, you became fabulous all on your own Love." Klaus told her.

"You've talked with Lilly, haven't you?" Veronica chuckled before Caroline came and took pictures of Veronica with all of her family before Klaus excused himself to spend some time with Caroline.

"Congratulation." Damon told Veronica.

"Thank you. You know that you don't have to stay with me if you don't want to. The election is over." She assured him.

"Please, I'm with this year's Miss Mystic Fall's. What could possibly be better than this?" Damon asked her while Stefan smiled softly from afar, knowing his brother was falling for the newest original.

.

Veronica spent the entire afternoon and part of the evening with Damon. They talked about a lot of things, got to know each other honestly. She could see that deep down, Damon was a good man, he had just been hurt a lot in the past and deserved some happiness.

Gentlemanly, he helped her pick up her things and drove her home. When he asked her out that night, she couldn't find it in her to say no. Instead she replied:

"Tell you what, if you can get my father to agree to us going out, then I'll go on a date with you." She told him with a mischievous smile before she went in the house, leaving a smiling Damon behind her.

* * *

**What did you think of this one?**

**I think this story is almost over, for now at least. I'm running out of inspiration. Chapter 16 will be the last one. **

**Don't forget to review please!**

**Check out my other stories!**

**Lorelei Candice Black**


End file.
